Sittin' in a Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G
by MaryAllen072192
Summary: Odd never doubted that what his friends and him were doing to save the world from XANA could ever have been wrong. That is until he meets the one person he never expected to be any more than what he was- Scratch that she was. (Remake of Odd Falls for X.A.N.A. - explained inside)
1. Prologue

**A/N: Sorry guys that it has been so long since I've updated anything. I cannot for the life of me remember my login details for my old fanfiction account. Use to be ReneeA111 which I then changed over to MaryAllen92, same account, and now I have this account MaryAllen072192. All stories are mine minus the ones on the Phantom of the Opera. ANYWAY! I am rewriting Odd Falls for X.A.N.A., and I will also of course add my link to the original chapters. All mine. **

**12/28/2019 – Doing some editing! Don't worry the story is still the same! **

**Original story: fanfiction s/2570728/1/Odd-Falls-For-XANA (you'll have to take the space out to enter this. Fanfiction .net deletes the beginning of the URL)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko nor their characters. **

**Sittin' in a Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Prologue **

Odd, a blond with a small purple streak, sat down in the old factory his friends and him had found years ago; or at least that's how he felt. His elbows rested on his knees as he buried his head in his hands. Naturally, he was thinking about her again. Her, as in the girl he'd never meant to fall for. She'd been an unknown entity at the time. He'd thought she was just another deity like Aelita, another girl who'd been forced into Lyoko against her will to be safe from the men looking for Hopper. The teen shook his head away from the thoughts that invaded his mind. "It's my fault…"

Footsteps echoed through the empty factory before his best friend sat next to him. Ulrich took one look at him before sighing, "Don't beat yourself up. Jeremy and Aelita are working on a program to bring her back without the virus. You could always go help…" It was a bad idea to suggest, and even Ulrich knew that Jeremy would have his head, if he could. All the he would do was pace back and forth until Jeremy would yell for him to get out. He would drive them nuts with questions, and when Jeremy or Aelita explained, he wouldn't understand. "On second thought-"

"She wasn't evil…" Odd cuts his friend off. "All this time we thought she was evil. All this time we thought she was trying to hurt Aelita when in reality-"

"When in reality she was trying to save her." The brunet shook his head. "We were all wrong Odd. We know that now."

"And now it's too late."

"Hey, Jeremy and Aelita are down there right now. They have a piece of her code in one of the towers. They're working on bringing her back and figuring out the devirtualize program to bring her here, to us," Ulrich paused before giving his friend a light smile, "to you."

Brown eyes looked to him. "You think she'll remember everything...? Everything that happened?"

Ulrich's mouth opened and closed, floundering to figure out what to say to dismiss his best friend's worries. "I…don't know." He settled with the truth.

He stood. "Maybe I should see what I can do... There's something I should be able to tell them that will help them find her. There just has to be something…"

Ulrich followed suit but couldn't will himself to follow into the old factory elevator. "Odd," his hands slipped in his pockets as he struggled to choose the right words, "if you need me, just call."

Odd raised a hand, his back to his friend before he turned to press the button. "Thanks." He gave him a small smile before the door closed and sped down to the super computer room that he only knew so well. How many times had they been virtualized into Lyoko to stop X.A.N.A.? How many times had they saved the world before discovering that going back in time was only making X.A.N.A. stronger? How long had it been since all of this began?

"Jeremy, I think I found it." Spoke a pink haired teenage girl just as the elevator door opened, the sound made her glance towards the doors to see Odd stepping out.

A blond with glasses looked over at her work, "A sample… It's one I took before we got..." he pauses, trying to choose the right words, "…defeated her. I thought I could figure out some way to run an antivirus on her but…" He glanced at their friend, "I think we can do it." He smiles encouragingly towards Aelita and then Odd before typing something in, entering the program that should work the magic they needed. "I think we did it, Aelita. I think we have her back!"

She smiles hopefully, looking over his work before turning to Odd. "Maybe you should go greet her?" She suggests.

A weak smile graced his lips, a smile they hadn't seen for months since this research began. He reentered the elevator. "Are you sure…?" He questioned half in doubt, half with hope.

They could only nod before he hit the code and went down; down into the scanner room, a room that consistently plagued with him nightmares since that day. He bit his lip as the doors reopened, revealing the room that made his heart ache. It was too familiar, all those times going in to Lyoko, lying to his friends as he went to see her; her, the enemy. He seemed to wilt a little, the smile falling as he found nothing. He pressed the button again, hands in his pockets before reappearing in the super computer room, "No one was there…" He spoke softly staring at the floor. "She wasn't there…"

Looks were exchanged between the computer genius and the princess, "We'll get it Odd." Jeremy promises him, "We'll bring her back."

"Why not sit and rest?" Suggests Aelita with a soft smile, "We'll tell you when we're ready to test again, okay?"

A slight nod was their answer as Odd slipped to a corner and sat down. _It's all my fault,_ he couldn't help but think. The words just wouldn't stop resonating inside his head. He missed her. He'd come to the factory every day to see her. Truthfully, he didn't want to admit it, but in an odd way he loved her. Odd loved X.A.N.A., even more so than any of his friends knew.

**A/N: Yep still a bit short but it is a lot longer than the original was. R&R, uh… considering it is my remake, I have no idea.**


	2. Chapter 1: The Meeting

**A/N: So I'm trying to get these updated chapters up as fast as I can. I'll do my best to post these as fast as I can, if not at least once a week. I believe I had about ten chapters in my last story so I'm trying, bear with me. **

**12/28/2019 – Edited. Don't worry; the story is still the same! There were just a few mistakes I felt needed to be corrected such as grammar and punctuation.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko.**

**Original chapters: /s/2570728/2/Odd-Falls-For-XANA (please note that these are to have fanfiction. net before them but I've noticed that it is being deleted, you would add the rest of what is above to the link to see the original chapters I have written.**

**Sittin' in a Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 1: The Meeting**

"There's an activated tower in the forest region!" Called out a voice that echoed around the group as they headed to another tower to move regions. They entered the tower with a pink haired digitized girl who easily had them appear in the correct region.

"Come on Jeremy," calls up one of the players, "why weren't we dropped here to begin with?"

"The super computer wouldn't let me," explained their friend. "Be glad you weren't all dropped in the digital sea," he mutters with slight annoyance just as his screen lights up. "Three blocks, two mega-tanks, and… Looks like X.A.N.A.'s cooked up something new, all headed straight for you!"

"Thank you Jeremy," spoke the pink haired girl as she ran with their friends surrounding her as both her protectors and shield.

"Yea, we've got this Jeremy! Super-speed!" Ulrich calls out before dashing towards one of the mega-tanks. "Triplicate." Two more Ulrich's appeared, helping him surround the tank before he jumped upon it, forcing his katana into the X.A.N.A. mark before jumping off as it exploded.

"Laser Arrow!" Odd declares as he makes his move and hits two out of three blocks.

One shot towards him, but when it came he hadn't feel the newly adjusted pain X.A.N.A. had incorporated into their new coding. Lucky for him, Yumi was the one to block it with her fan. "Be more careful, Odd." She reminds him, "We need you to finish taking Aelita to the tower." She gave him a small smile before throwing her fans and hitting the block in its mark. "Go!" She calls out as she caught her fans when they flew back from the blast.

"Aelita watch out!" Jeremy's voice erupted from the digital sky once more. "That unidentified object is coming up on you two fast!"

With those words Odd scooped up Aelita, "Sorry Princess, just hold on and-" he dodged an attack that seemed to come from nowhere, making him look around for the offender.

"Odd!"

"Don't yell Einstein!" He retorted as he set Aelita down and shot off three arrows in the direction the attack had come from. "What was that…?"

Jeremy couldn't help but stifle a groan. He couldn't be there and his friends didn't seem to want to listen to him today. All he wanted to do was get rid of X.A.N.A.'s threat of the day and get back to class before mid-terms started, but here they were and still heavily busy. "That unidentified object," the genius says again, "it's coming right for you!" His voice had gotten louder, shaky with panic as he helplessly watched the map as the threat picked up speed.

The next words from Odd's mouth made him freeze in mid-keystroke. "Jeremy... that object-"

"It's a girl…" finished Aelita in disbelief.

At the mere sight of this new entity the monsters seemed to cease fire and move back giving this girl space to enter their circle. It almost looked like they had stopped to bow to her. Her face was empty of any and all emotion as a virtual wind picked up and blew her black braided hair to her left side revealing the white streak that had been intertwined into the long braid. She looked more human than they did in their avatar states, yet it was obvious she was anything but. Her eyes were green like fresh grass, and her skin as pale as moonlight. At that moment she was dressed almost in a mockery of Odd and Yumi with a black body suit which covered her from neck down, and a white and black kimono that fell to the middle of her thighs with a slit up the side as her sleeves fell just below her wrists, loose and hardly covering her human hands. Two knives were strapped to her left thigh, right above knee high black boots. In the midst of it all, they could tell that she was much different from their usual encounters with X.A.N.A.'s monsters. Even more dangerous than William had been at the time he'd been taken over; for right over her heart was the symbol of X.A.N.A.

Jeremy only studied her for a moment, thinking it was strange that there was another being on Lyoko other than Aelita. Distrust instantly settled into the pits of his stomach as he shook his head. Whoever this girl was, whatever she was, it didn't matter. Humanity was at stake again because of X.A.N.A. and this could be dealt with at a later date, hopefully if everything went to plan. "Protect Aelita at all costs!" He shouted out to his friends who were instantly at Aelita's sides like the knights in armor that Odd commented they were. They were prepared for anything.

It was then the girl stepped aside to allow Aelita by, even going as far as using a hand to show she was presenting the way in good faith. Jeremy raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Aelita looked to their friends before taking advantage of the cleared way and ran to the tower with Ulrich and Yumi guarding her back. "I will not harm any of you, not yet." The mystery girl spoke as she looked to Odd, for he was the only one who had stayed where he was, arm ready but lowered. Her voice sent a shiver down their spines to the point that Ulrich shuddered. Who could she be that she was so cold and frightening?

"Who are you…?" Odd couldn't help but question, his arm shaking. If she tried to attack, would he be able to fire in time? "Why-" the blond shook his head lightly as he corrected himself, "What are you doing here? How did you get in Lyoko?" He demands with uncertainty.

Her eyes were cold as she looked him over before a small smile appeared to grace her lips and she spoke once more, "I am your enemy." At that moment the tower behind her flickered from red to white as Aelita put in her code to deactivate it and put a stop to X.A.N.A.'s evil plans. "You know who I am," the figure says, "but I'll give you a name I use to go by, one I was called before all of this trouble began," she pauses before nodding, "Dahlia." It was as if she had chosen something with a deep resolve.

An orb of light suddenly came from deep within the factory just as she looked closer at the teen before her. "Return to the past now," spoke a relieved Jeremy as he finished keying in the sequence.

**SCHOOL, NOW EARLIER THAT DAY**

"Who do you think that girl was…?" Aelita mused as the Lyoko group headed for their seats in the cafeteria. "How could she have been in Lyoko without my knowledge?"

Odd had managed to draw a, somewhat, detailed image of the mystery girl and handed it over to Jeremy to examine it. "Maybe we know her," suggests Yumi with a slight shrug. "She could have snuck in like Sissi did."

"The only other person we allowed to go in there was William and X.A.N.A. took control of him a while back." Jeremy reminds her. "Sissi didn't manage to get virtualized like him."

"Yea… but he hasn't been around much lately." Ulrich gave a slight shrug with disinterest, "You think X.A.N.A. decided to give up on him for now? He was doing a pretty lousy job."

This only made Yumi roll her eyes as Aelita gave off a small chuckle. "Do you have any ideas, Jeremy?" The dark haired girl asked as she took the image from him and examined it.

"I don't recognize her... I'm pretty sure I've never seen anyone before with black hair and a white streak through it. Plus this girl had green eyes? Are you sure about that Odd?" Jeremy adjusted his glasses, a nervous tick that seemed to come out when he had questions.

Odd just gave a simple nod, "Yea, like emeralds, or fresh cut grass."

Ulrich chuckles and elbows him in the side. "You sure you don't have a new crush on this mystery girl?"

"What?" He laughs just as the bell rang and interrupted their conversation.

Jeremy was the first to stand and sigh, "We'll finish this later." He declares. "Maybe I'll go to the factory and see if I can figure out more details about this mystery person, Dahlia."

Aelita smiles lightly. "I'll come with you."

**A/N: I hope you guys like this newly remade chapter. I had started working on it last night and went to bed at four, lol! Glad I'm finally getting it up after some laundry! R&R!**


	3. Chapter 2: Mystery Girl, Mystery Plan 1

**A/N: If you've read this so far, thank you! As I said before I'm trying to get my previous chapters up but then I read through my Chapter 2 of my previous story and decided I wanted to change it up a little bit. If you remember my writing from the beginning I did my best to keep it short, sweet, and to the point, but I personally think my writing has expanded since, or at least I hope it has. There was a lot that seemed to be desired when I began my original fic Odd Falls For X.A.N.A., pretty good explanation of what the story was about when I started it, but now I've changed my title to Sittin' in a Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G, which I thought kind of gave it a new feel. If you'd like to read my original story you are more than welcome to and let me know how it compares! **** ANYWAY! Please read and review! Everyone needs constructive criticism!**

**Link to Odd Falls for X.A.N.A. : fanfiction s/2570728/1/Odd-Falls-For-XANA **

**Make sure to take the space out from between fanfiction and .net, strangely they do not allow URLs to go through intact and this old story was written by myself on my OLD account first beginning as ReneeA111 and changed to MaryAllen92…but I cannot recall my login since it has been almost 10 years since I have written anything on fanfiction. **

**Please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko or any of its characters.**

**Sittin' in a Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 2: Mystery Girl, Mystery Plans: Part 1**

**VZZZ, VZZZ, VZZZ!**

**VZZZ, VZZZ, VZZZ!**

The factory seemed void of all its usual comers as a cell phone vibrated within the scanner room. Whoever was calling was persistent, but the owner of the phone didn't move to pull his phone from their back pocket.

**VZZZ, VZZZ, VZZZ!**

**VZZZ, VZZZ, VZZZ!**

The vibrations seemed to echo through the large room, its owner unconscious and curled up in a scanner, senseless of the world and dangers before him. The vibrations faded as the elevator doors opened, "Odd!" Footsteps filled the room as the Lyoko warriors ran to their friend.

"Odd," Ulrich knelt by their blond/purple haired friend, first he checked his pulse before tapping his cheeks lightly, "Wake up!"

Jeremy frowned. "I don't understand… what was he doing here…"

ONE WEEK EARLIER…

Odd had spread himself out on his bed, his dog Kiwi happily curled up on the floor by his feet, chewing on a shoe. Ever since that day they'd saved the world and met 'Dahlia', Odd hadn't been able to pull his mind from the girl. She had turned to him as if expecting more, maybe for him to attack her? He groans, kicking his feet in the air as his arms moved as if they were hitting the air. "What did she want?"

A bark answered him.

He stopped, looking at his dog and sighs, "Kiwi, what do I do? What would she have been doing in Lyoko? You know my name…" His words seemed jumbled, a mess of what had happened and what to do. "You know my name… Did she just mean me personally?"

The door opened, revealing Ulrich with a towel on his head. "Not again," he sighs and takes his shoe from Kiwi before looking at his best friend and roommate. "You only look that way when you're constipated,-

"Hey!"

"What's up?" he asks before tossing his shoe back to the dog.

Odd watched his actions without interest. "It's just, what does she want?"

Instantly Ulrich scrunched his nose up, "Please tell me you're not talking about Sissy." That got a stir from him. Odd sat straight up with a look of disbelief which made him laugh. "Not Sissy, Sam, maybe? Got another crush on some other girl?"

"No!" He drops back on his pillows, "I'm talking about the new one we met, Dahl-"

"Jeremy said he'd look into it, probably another creation for X.A.N.A. to suck us in with another trick." He stood, tossing his towel into his wardrobe, provided by their school, and shrugs. "Who cares? We'll find what ever tower he's activated and move on."

"But the girl-"

"We'll go back to where ever she came from or disappear altogether." He plopped down at his desk, rolling his chair over to look to the math notes he'd been poring over before taking a break, "And we'll move on."

"What if she's stuck like Aelita was?"

He sighs as he scoops up his pencil, making a correction to an equation he'd attempted before, "Then Jeremy will figure it out?" He half remarked, disinterested, and guessed. "He hasn't steered us wrong."

"But what if we make a mistake? What if-"

"Odd." Ulrich chastised as he tossed his pencil aside and swiveled around, "We will find her again. Jeremy and Aelita are searching for her, and they'll find out what it-"

"It?" He bolted up, staring at him with a scowl, a not-so Odd like thing to do, "It? She is a girl! And she let Aelita by, why not give her a chance?"

"Maybe because she wasn't there to hurt us yet?" Ulrich pointed out. "Maybe because all those of X.A.N.A.'s monsters stopped and bowed to her? And did you forget she told us she was the enemy?"

Quiet greeted him before a door slammed, making him jump. A groan escaped as he leaned back in his chair, "Yumi's gonna kill me…" Ulrich grabbed a fresh pair of shoes and looked to Kiwi, "Be quiet, and don't eat anymore shoes!" He ordered the dog who only looked up from his half chewed show to the fresh ones Ulrich pulled on. "I mean it or Odd is…really gonna get it." He lamely finished before shutting the door and locking it behind him to dash after his friend.

…

Odd had walked out with no purpose and any thoughts of where he'd go to hide out for a little while. His mind was muddled, jumbled with the image of a helpless girl, possibly under the control of X.A.N.A. who continued to invade his thoughts. His friend's words had stung. All he'd wanted was to voice his thoughts and what-if's, but all of it had backfired and forced him to crave the night time air to settle his concerns.

He knew Jeremy would find the newcomer.

He knew Aelita would be helping him.

He also knew that if this girl was in trouble, they'd save her.

His musings took him to the old factory where he sat down at the super computer, and began typing.

…

Ulrich panted as he ran around the school, hiding when he saw Jim standing guard outside the gym. "I thought his patrolling was already done for night!" He cursed in a whisper before going the opposite way. "Odd… where did you go?"

Usually he'd have left his friend alone to cool down but also to let him do as he pleased, after all he knew Odd could handle himself. It was times like these, when X.A.N.A. was causing trouble, where he worried for his friends more. Odd could be a tough cookie, but ever since this girl invaded his thoughts he had his mind on her. He was worrying about her. He was always talking and wondering about her, and Ulrich didn't understand. Sure he was that way with Yumi, but they all knew Yumi, and they all knew she could handle herself. Yea, he'd gone out of his way to protect her a few times, even when his vertigo took over and when they got attacked by a giant teddy bear. Granted Ulrich also knew that those times she may have needed him.

He groaned in frustration, even going as far as gripping his hair. "How did he disappear so fast?"

His cell phone rang, "Odd?" Ulrich answers without looking at the caller ID.

…

The elevator opened and closed when it received its passenger, sliding down gracefully to the scanner room where afterwards it departed. Odd entered the one and only prepared scanner before stepping in. "Begin Virtualization process." He uttered loud enough for the computer to hear him.

A set of gears clicked into place and the computer began a process to send Odd into Lyoko. "Virtualization, Odd." Spoke a computer animated voice. A flash of light beamed through the closed scanner. It opened, now empty with Odd having departed inside to Lyoko.

**A/N: I hope you liked chapter two! It's a bit different from the original fic but I wanted to add in a few things. R&R! Night everyone!**


	4. Chapter 3: Mystery Girl, Mystery Plan 2

**A/N: Hi everyone! I decided to redo the ending of this chapter, so I'll help you'll read then ending again. Enjoy!**

**Thank you TheDarkHollow for my first review! I'm so happy you'll enjoy my story! **

**Sittin' in a Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 3: Mystery Girl, Mystery Plans: Part 2**

Odd looked around, surprised by the chill that came off of the Artic region. In a way he had expected to land in the Forest but maybe his coordinates had been off. "Jeremy's really better at this computer stuff…" He said out loud to himself before groaning, "Oh great! Now I'm talking to myself!" He paced the spot he landed in before realization hit him square in the chest, literally. A laser shot him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. If he'd been paying attention, he'd have noticed that X.A.N.A.'s monsters had been there when he'd appeared. It was as if they were prepared for his arrival. "Aw man…"

Blocks and Mega-tanks had surrounded him, all ready to fire if needed. In the back floated the Schyphozoa, floating closer and closer to him before wrapping its tentacles around him.

He struggles. "Why did I have to go to Lyoko?" Odd yells in frustration. It was just like him to plunge head first into everything without a thought or care in the world.

A voice suddenly echoed around him and the monsters, "Bring him to me."

Golden eyes widened. "What?! To who?" he struggled more as the Schyphozoa began moving, heading for the tower hidden below. There he saw the familiar girl, the girl he'd been thinking about for days. "You…?"

A small smirk came to Dahlia's face as she jumped down from the top of the deactivated tower. "I see you've finally come back. I wondered if a catastrophe would need to happen before you would."

…..

"Odd? Where are you?" Ulrich demands on his cell phone.

There was a slight pause before someone spoke, "Ulrich? Did you even check the caller ID? I can't get a hold of Odd and I-"

"Jeremy?" Ulrich pulls the phone away, looking at the caller ID this time. Jeremy's name appeared in green letters on his phone. "Jeremy…? Why were you trying to get a hold off Odd?"

"My computer went off that someone virtualized themselves," answered Jeremy. "And the cameras showed Odd entering by his self.

"That's where he went," whispers Ulrich to himself.

"What do you mean? You two didn't have another break up, did you?" Jeremy half-teases.

"Break up?"

"You better go make up with him!" The warning was evident in his tone, "You two fighting just doesn't fit."

The phone clicked off, showing that Jeremy had ended the call to allow Ulrich to do what he needed to do.

"Great…" Ulrich says before looking around the corner to find Jim gone. "I better hurry before he gets himself in trouble too."

…..

"A catastrophe would have brought all of us here if we had to!" Odd claimed with a slight shrug before gasping as the Schyphozoa squeezed him as if in warning.

The girl landed on a stone that floated between the tower and land, "I would have had to work harder just to get you alone."

This actually made him laugh a little, "Can't resist my charms already huh?" A golden eye winked at her, "All the girls swoon for me, I just can't get 'em to stay off me."

Green eyes blinked in confusion, "Swooned? Charms? You speak as if you were a friend but I've told you, I'm your enemy." She pushed some hair from her face, which only made him wonder if there had really been anything there. "I brought you here to-"

"Ooo! Is this where you divulge your plan to me and I sit here in awe and horror about what you've come up with?"

Annoyance flashed in those bright green eyes before the Schyphozoa dropped him as if acting it were on her emotion. "I am trying to speak to you." She inquired. "I'm trying to help you before-"

The blond teenager was up in an instant, having landed on his 'feet' like the cat he was portrayed to be. He scurried around, using his laser arrows to get rid of a few blocks and irritate the Schyphozoa. "Why would I listen to someone who's the enemy?" He demands as he made a move to get out of the underground space. "And on your terms?"

"But you have to-"

Odd didn't bother to slow down or stop. For days he'd talked about her and wondered what her purpose really was. All he wanted was to give her the benefit of the doubt and listen, but he couldn't! He could only hope she'd understand if they found out she was on their side. "I don't have to do anything!" Odd calls out as he turns to show a mischievous grin. What he saw was something hardly different than what usually happened on Lyoko.

First, he saw that she was floating in the air, her braid floating around her as more and more monsters appeared. Then, words came from her mouth he couldn't hear before her eyes opened, those green eyes had become pitch black. "If you won't listen, then I'll make you!" The monsters began to charge towards him as the tower became an angry red.

Color drained from Odd's face as he saw the sea of monsters, the red tower, and the angry virtual girl. He turned tail and ran. "If I live through this, I promise I will never-!" A laser shot passed him, hitting the ground before him. "Whoa!" Odd turns to see all the monsters had followed and were circling around him. "Whelp…too late to run now." He took aim at a few blocks before him. One fired, forcing him to dodge as he shot his laser arrows, three of them. "You missed!" He grins before being shot in the torso. "That…didn't…" He groans.

He didn't see the Schyphozoa and its tentacles. He wasn't expecting something to wrap around him and hold him still. Odd struggled, wincing as his torso still stung from the shot. "If I…ever get out of this, I promise I'll never tease my friends about their crushes again…"

Dahlia floated towards him before she landed on top of a mega-tank. "I don't plan to hurt you." Her eyes were once again green, but anger coated her words, "I am trying to help. Do you know what help means?" Her arms were crossed just like he'd seen Yumi and Aelita do when they were upset, or angry, or insecure.

"You said you were the enemy. You go by a name I know…"

"X.A.N.A. is planning a nuclear attack. Your friends need to be aware of it. They need to be prepared." She dismissively spoke. "So you can either keep running from me, or you can listen to me."

"Who are you?" Odd questions.

"You must prepare."

"Are you like us? Human?"

To his surprise, she answered this one, "I don't remember." She was quiet for a spell, as if expecting another question, "You must prepare your friends." She tells him. "Tell them that X.A.N.A.'s next attack is coming." She rose again in the air.

"Wait, where are you going? Was that all?" Carefully he was set down by the Schyphozoa.

"I'm out of time." Her eyes looked almost sad before she disappeared

Odd stood there in disbelief before whispering to himself, "Nuclear weapons… X.A.N.A…. Dahlia…" He shook his head. "Wait!" Odd pales, "How am I gonna…" He turns to see that all the monsters had disappeared except two. "Oh…"

The scanner doors opened, letting smoke out just as a hand reached out and grabbed the side. Odd panted, holding his torso once again. Ulrich sat before him with his elbows resting on his knees and his chin resting on his intertwined fingers. "Welcome back. Wanna let us know what went on in there, or did you get corrupted by X.A.N.A.?"

The blond stiffened a little before coming out of the scanner before looking to his friend, "X.A.N.A. is planning a nuclear attack."

"Sure he is." Ulrich watched him for a moment, next to him sat a steel pole; he'd been prepared if Odd had been taken over. That's when he stood, "Why would go into Lyoko without us?" The poor teen looked like he'd been running around town all night, searching for his best friend, which he had. "Of all places you'd stomp off to-"

"Maybe because you were getting tired of listening to me," the blond tells him with a slight annoyance in his voice, "but you've made your point. She's an enemy, but there's something more to all this! I just know it."

The brunet stared at Odd before shaking his head. "Odd, we don't know what she is. Right now, as Jeremy would say, she's an unknown variable. We don't know what she's capable of or what she wants. For all you know, she only let Aelita by because it would catch our interest, Jeremy's and yours. Look at what it's done! You're obsessed with her! Your constant thoughts are about her, and every word out of your mouth has been about this Dahlia! We don't even know if she's a real person!"

"Of course she is!" Odd instantly growled.

Ulrich clenched his fists, "And what makes you so sure? We've never even heard of Dahlia!"

"We never heard of Aelita either before we met her! Now we've found out she's Hopper's daughter and he's the one who put her in Lyoko to protect her!"

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is?"

Two sets of brown eyes locked with the other, "I just don't want you to do something stupid." Ulrich says as he tried to regain his calm. "Jeremy thought that other girl was Aelita, remember what happened? What if this girl was sent by X.A.N.A. to throw us off are game, or even to pull us-"

"Don't you dare say apart, or break us up." He scowls.

"Will you just listen-"

"I'm done listening! Why don't you listen? X.A.N.A. is going to stage another attack. A nuclear attack!" Odd tells him. "So let's call up Jeremy, Aelita, and Yumi and get to Lyoko to deactivate the tower!"

His friend sighed before pulling out his cell phone, "Jeremy… I think you need to scan for a tower on Lyoko, just in case."

…..

Naturally, Jeremy wanted to check everything out, plus make sure they had the right Odd. They had discovered that thought X.A.N.A. could virtualize clones of them, but these clones didn't match the code to be virtualized back into Lyoko. "Transfer Odd," he announces with Aelita standing beside him, while Ulrich and Yumi were in the scanner room prepared. "Scanning, Odd," he presses a couple of buttons, selecting Odd's card on the computer. "Virtualization!"

There a long pause before Odd commented inside of Lyoko, "Hey Einstein? Was that all? Are you gonna send the others to, ya know, find the tower?"

He gave the others the head up to go ahead for the scanning.

"Jeremy, have you found anything on this Dahlia?" Aelita asked softly."

He simply shook his head, "No, as far as we know she doesn't exist, but we thought the same for you on Earth. Only to find out your father was Frances Hopper…"

The pink haired girl nodded a little, but a small smile was etched on her face, "But there is a possibility. She could have been created by X.A.N.A. but usually he makes people we already know. Why not clone Sissy," she said with a light laugh, "and make us think she somehow fell into Lyoko?"

It was a possibility, the girl could have been a clone of someone else Aelita may not remember. Or, a big or at that, she could be someone who had been transferred into Lyoko before. There were too many questions to ask. Was she real? Or was she a creation made by X.A.N.A.? What was the plan in having them go to Lyoko, to deactivate another tower, to stop something they didn't know was going to happen? There was no proof that X.A.N.A. launched an attack; no proof that there was going to be a nuclear attack, but they couldn't take any chances.

It took a moment before Jeremy nodded in agreement, "You're right. We need to figure out what this girl is."

**A/N: I hope all of you liked the new chapter! R&R! **


	5. Chapter 4: T is for Trapped

**A/N: For anyone who read my chapter 3 before 05/24 you may want to go back to read the end. I did some editing. . Love y'all! Lol, but I hope y'all enjoy/ed the ending of the last chapter. Gotta love cliffhangers! **

**Sorry it took so long to get this up. The weekend got a bit…busy. I'll do my best to post at least once a week. **

**Always don't forget to read and review! **

**Sittin' in a Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**RECAP**

"Jeremy, have you found anything on this Dahlia?" Aelita asked softly.

He simply shook his head, "No, as far as we know she doesn't exist, but we thought the same for you on Earth; only to find out your father was Frances Hopper…"

The pink haired girl nodded a little, but a small smile was etched on her face, "But there is a possibility. She could have been created by X.A.N.A. but usually he makes people we already know. Why not clone Sissy," she said with a light laugh, "and make us think she somehow fell into Lyoko?"

It was a possibility, the girl could have been a clone of someone else Aelita may not remember. Or, a big or at that, she could be someone who had been transferred into Lyoko before. There were too many questions to ask. Was she real? Or was she a creation made by X.A.N.A.? What was the plan in having them go to Lyoko, to deactivate another tower, to stop something they didn't know was going to happen? There was no proof that X.A.N.A. launched an attack; no proof that there was going to be a nuclear attack, but they couldn't take any chances.

It took a moment before Jeremy nodded in agreement, "You're right. We need to figure out what this girl is."

**Chapter 4: T for Trapped**

It hadn't taken long for the group to find the tower; afterall, it was where she had taken Odd earlier. It was as if she was sabotaging X.A.N.A. but that didn't make sense. Why and how could she have the free will to do something other than what her possible master wanted? Even William wasn't able to regain control back. Instead he was the puppet of their greatest enemy. What they couldn't figure out was why? He had been a friend but had a little information on Lyoko. The day he had been virtualized, William had been too cocky which lead to losing him and ever since he has belonged to X.A.N.A.

"See?" The blond purple cat comments, his arms crossed as he did so. "There was an activated tower."

"No nuclear warfare," said Jeremy with slight relief. It still felt wrong, a set up.

Yumi was the one to speak up this time. Odd was their friend, and they were all worried for him and this obsession with Dahlia. "Odd, I don't there was ever any nuclear-" the new cut her off.

Their observer and watcher, Jeremy, had flipped it on, just to look.

"Latest new, tonight," spoke an overly ecstatic woman, "all nuclear missiles had been activated earlier tonight. Naturally we bring this new to you after everything has been taken of! Thanks to the military and the president for quickly changing their codes, we're all now, once again, safe and sound! Danger has passed, and I hope you'll hear this with light hearts and a well-deserved rest!"

Their jaws dropped.

Jeremy shook his head, "It doesn't make sense." This time he'd finally said it out loud, "Why would someone who says they're our enemy warn us?"

Silence answered him.

"I'm doing a return to the past," he quickly says, "no one outside of our group needs to know about this. Nuclear bombs are too over the top!"

"What?"

"Jeremy you can't!"

"What about X.A.N.A. getting stronger?"

The protests instantly came and easily fell on deaf ears.

"Return to the past now!"

"No, wait!"

…..

**EARLIER THAT DAY…**

Jeremy frowns as he sat down with his lunch tray. "Where's Odd? I was pretty sure he'd be scarfing down all of our applesauce." He picked up the offending smashed fruit and placed it in the middle of the table, and that's when he noticed the strange looks he was getting. "What? Odd likes applesauce… You two aren't fighting still, are you?" He turned the conversation to Ulrich who blinked in surprise.

The entire Lyoko group looked to Jeremy. "Jeremy… we don't know an Odd." Ulrich spoke slowly.

Without missing a beat Jeremy chuckled lightly, "Very funny. Giving him the cold shoulder just to make a point now?" He started eating, scooping up some mashed potatoes. "How do you plan to ignore him when he starts dancing around and singing?"

"Jeremy," Aelita was looking at him strangely, "we don't know an Odd… Are you sure you're okay? It was rough in Lyoko." She looked concerned.

"But… Ulrich has a roommate! And his roommate is Odd! You can't go this far with your joke!"

There was silence, "I don't have a roommate," Ulrich spoke slowly, enunciating each word for Jeremy to comprehend. "I've never had a roommate. I mean I was suppose to but-"

"But the guy chickened out at the last second and didn't show." The Japanese teenager finished for him. "You two were the lucky ones to not get roommates. You're lucky Jim didn't move you two in together."

Instantly the blond stood, his chair skirted back, falling to the ground. "Something isn't right." Quickly he left before anyone could stop him. Something happened, he just knew it, but why was he the only one who remembered Odd? Even Sissy and her groupies didn't even recall Odd, yet they remembered Kiwi. He'd even heard the principal's daughter comment about Ulrich's dumb dog interrupting her beauty sleep. "Where did he go…?"

….

A groan escaped a purple figure as he tried to move about, "Ooo… my head." His words echoed around him. He winced as the bright room made him squeeze his eyes shut. "Ah…who turned the brights on…?" Slowly he cracked open another eye, "I recognize this place." Around him the room was covered from ceiling to floor of white. Bricks of this white wonderland surrounded him, some moving up and down and others either crumbling or staying still. "The Cortex…?"

"Sorry about that," came an all too familiar voice. "When you virtualized yourself, you input a wrong code."

Golden eyes searched before landing on the girl, Dahlia. "I put it in just how Jeremy does… at least I did it according to his notes. He's got some loopy handwriting though." He sighs. "So is this supposed to be my welcome home party?"

Amusement flickered in those bright green eyes as she listened to him talk, mostly to himself. "I'm afraid I don't know what this 'party' is." She mentions with a keen interest. "What is this 'welcome home party' you speak of? Does it consist more of my monsters? Or the towers?"

"No, no, no." Odd sat down, maybe the others would notice he was missing and come get him, but until then he could only hope he wasn't in any danger. "A party is where you play music and dance, and you gotta have balloons and a disco ball." The blond chuckles, "It's where you eat snacks and dance to the music and enjoy yourself."

A blank stare greeted him, "Music? Balloons?" A small holographic screen appeared before as she searched these. "Music…?" with a click of a button, a sound surrounded them. Beethoven began to play, making the teen chuckle.

"There's a lot more different kinds besides classical." A chuckle escaped him before he gave himself a beat, "Uhn tss, uhn tss. Ya know, music with a distinct beat?"

"I do not understand. What is this beat?"

"Maybe you only have the same understanding as Aelita when she came out. She didn't even know about the five senses. I mean, in here you only have two." Odd pauses as he saw her confused look before explaining the best he could. "Einstein could probably explain it better than I can. I wonder if X.A.N.A. doesn't know what the five sense are too," he leans back, staring at the shifting ceiling, "Does he know about what the outside world is like?"

"X.A.N.A. does not."

Odd glances at her, "Really? So did he make you in his image, thinks he's a god now, huh?"

"In a way X.A.N.A. is a god, in here."

Without hesitation, Odd groaned and rolled his eyes, "X.A.N.A. isn't a god. He's simply a kid throwing a tantrum when he doesn't get his way."

"X.A.N.A. is only doing what she is programmed to do by Franz Hopper."

"I doubt Franz-" for a moment there was a pause before Odd shot back up into a sit up position. "She?"

"Odd, are you there?" Interrupted Jeremy.

**A/N: Hey guys! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. I always love a good cliffhanger! R&R! **


	6. Chapter 5: A Word to the Wise

**A/N: Alright! Hope y'all enjoyed that last cliff hanger. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter as much as the last! Hopefully , if things go right, I'll have chapter 6 up by Saturday if not sometime by Wednesday. **

**Read and Enjoy! **

**Sittin' in a Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 5: A Word to the Wise**

The blond teen dropped his bag by the door when he stepped off the elevator. His chair awaited him, but it only seemed to make him more anxious. Could Odd still be in Lyoko? Was he in another X.A.N.A. created reality? Was X.A.N.A. going to pick them off one by one until no one remembered them? Or could it have been a fluke?

Quickly he shook his head before taking a seat. The chair brought him around to the super computer before he pulled on his headset and began typing away. "Come on Odd, where are you…?" The teen muttered to his self before opening a link in Lyoko. "Odd? Odd, do you read me?" He waited for a moment before moving to the next sector. "Odd? Come in Odd!" Once again there was no answer which only made him take a breath, move on, and repeat his actions in the last two sectors.

"Do your worst X.A.N.A., but I'm going to find him and undo what ever you've done." Jeremy declared as he began searching for Odd's code and an activated tower.

It was minutes later before the super computer dinged like an oven finishing chocolate chip cookies. "Let's see what you've got…" Jeremy's eyebrow raised, "The Cortex? What would X.A.N.A. need with him there?" Once again he began typing away, searching for a way to get a hold of his friend. He had to get communication to him.

"Odd, are you there?" Jeremy's voice boomed from above, mixed with a hint of anxiety. "Odd? Say something if you can hear me!" He calls out.

At that moment Odd looked to the virtual ceiling of the Cortex, "Einstein?"

Dahlia huffed lightly as she blew some virtual strands of hair out of her face and stood. "It seems it's time for you to go."

Golden eyes turned to her, "What? But-"

She held a hand up, silencing him. "Tell him your code is incomplete to devirtualize." She made a flick with her finger and it was as if Jeremy could hear him.

"But-"

"Odd?!" Jeremy's frantic voice interrupted him. "Odd!"

The purple cat dressed Odd sighs lightly, "Jeremy? Is that you? I think…I think I messed up my code when I got in Lyoko, so I wasn't devirtualized." Already he could hear his friend typing away.

"You're right…" Jeremy spoke slowly, "How did you miss the coding in…" his words faded in and out. Odd rarely virtualized anyone, especially without his help. "You couldn't read my writing, could you?" Jeremy seemed to mutter, mostly to himself.

"Yea… lots of loops, Einstein, and I'm not the only one who needs the notes if you ever get held up, ya know? Yumi does the virtual program thingy too but she doesn't really care for it. Ulrich and I don't know what we're doing." Odd chuckled lightly to himself as if trying to lighten the mood.

"Yea, yea," his friend dismissed as he kept up his steady clack-clack-clacking on the super computer's keyboard. Suddenly the typing slowed as Jeremy asked, "How did you know it was the code?"

Odd laughs, "Just a guess?" He says with a bit too quickly.

Jeremy frowned as he started his typing back up. A guess? That wasn't like Odd, was it?

Dahlia looks to Odd before sighing. Somehow she had made it to where Jeremy could only hear Odd when they spoke. "It seems your time is coming to an end here in Lyoko, but it was fun."

"What? Can't I see you again?"

Jeremy raised an eyebrow at this sentence, believing Odd was talking to him. "You're gonna see us again," he chuckles, "Remember? I know the ins and outs of this program! You'll see me and all the others again; even Jim, if you miss him that much."

Odd blinks and looks to Dahlia who simply chuckled and gave him a small shrug. He then whispers, "He can't hear you, can he?"

She shook her head, holding back a laugh. "Of course he can't! If he knew I was here, he'd simply accuse you of being brainwashed."

"Brainwashed?" He said a bit too loudly that only enticed a slight snort from her.

"What was that?" Jeremy says into his own microphone. "Did you say brainwashed?"

Dahlia couldn't help a small smirk at the fun she was getting to poke at with Odd. "You keep it up and he'll think you've gone crazy."

This time the blond/purple haired teen said nothing as he crossed his arms. How could he talk to her without the Einstein getting suspicious? A small grin appeared on his face as he began humming. "Mind if I sing some tunes, Einstein?" He asks, granted he was going to do it whether his computer friend said yes anyway.

"Do as you please, just don't distract me." He mutters.

Odd grins lightly before looking to Dahlia, "I put a spell on you." He sung lightly. "Because you're mine."

An eyebrow raised as Dahlia listened to him. "You didn't put a spell on me."

He shook his head and pointed at her. "You put a spell on me, because I'm yours."

She shook her head, "I didn't brainwash you if that's what you think." She sat down, watching him curiously. "The only thing I did was make your friends forget, minus the smart one."

His eyes widened, "You better stop the things you do, I tell ya I ain't lyin'! I ain't lyin'."

She smiles lightly. "It couldn't be helped, I wanted a break, and a chance to talk to one of the warriors sent to stop my works."

"Alright, cool. Yeah, yeah!" Odd sung. "Talk to me baby, talk." He was even doing the side voices a bit, getting a giggle from her. "You's a prissy little missy, baby. I got one night for you baby, lit!"

"If only we'd had that long," Dahlia giggles.

Odd paused for a minute before humming and then singing, "If only, if only, the woodpecker sighed, the bark on the tree was as soft as the sky. As the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely, he cries to the moon, if only, if only." Just as soon as he started he began singing something different, "Hey, slow it down. What do you want from me, what do you want from me?"

Her face was genuine as she watched him, for once she seemed relaxed. "I guess… I wanted someone to see me before things end."

His eyebrows scrunched together. "End…? When darkness turns to light, it ends tonight, it ends tonight."

"Odd, can you at least stick with one song? Are you making another remix?"

"Oh y-yea!" He says as he watched her. "Don't you think it fits? It's like…."

"Like a conversation between lovers?" Jeremy mused, joking.

"Yes!" He says with a shrug he couldn't see. "Whaddaya think?"

"It is different," Jeremy said slowly. "Ah! There! Done, I think we can devirtualize you now."

Odd looks to Dahlia, "I wish we could have talked more," he spoke to her as soft as he could without Jeremy noticing.

"Well…" Jeremy spoke again, "We might have to deactivate the tower first. Uhm…I know this may be hard to hear, but no one remembers you, except me for some reason."

A shrug came from Dahlia, "I told you I did."

"Odd?" His friend asks when he heard no response. "Are you okay?"

Odd took a deep breath before nodding, "Yea…" he spoke slowly, "but why did X.A.N.A. leave only you to remember me?"

Jeremy frowned. He'd been wondering that too. X.A.N.A. was smart, so why would he leave a loose end? "Maybe he slipped up." He said softly, uncertain. "It seems strange… X.A.N.A. always has some card up his sleeve but-"

"She." Odd cut him off.

"She?" Jeremy asks slowly.

"X.A.N.A. is-"

A snap echoed around Odd as he looked around, his own words cut off by none other than Dahlia. "What was that for?" He demands as he saw she'd even gone as far as crossing her legs.

"I never gave you permission to tell anyone," she spoke calmly. "Looks like I get my wish after all, don't I?"

…..

"Odd?" Jeremy cries out as silence filled his ears. "Odd?! Can you hear me? Odd?!" He dialed in the telephone program he had, dialing their friends. "I need you here, now."

…..

"What does it matter if they know, or not?" Odd demands as he stood before the dark haired girl, "You told me like you could have cared less. You just let it slip like it was nothing!"

Dahlia propped her elbow on her knee before resting her chin in her open hand, "You realize I could have just deleted you and been done with this silliness, yes? I didn't. I could also have kept you prisoner for the rest of your days instead of allowing a friend to recall you." Her eyes had darkened; in fact they'd reddened again. "You're my pet, little cat."

Odd paled lightly.

"Remember," she watched him as if he was fox in a bear trap, "I warned you. I'm your enemy."

"But you-"

She raised a hand and his voice was gone. "Did I say you could talk, Pet?" Dahlia spat as she stood up, looking tall and majestic. "The fun has just begun."

….

The Lyoko warriors tried their best to keep an open mind as their friend tried to explain what had happened in the last hour or two. "Listen, Odd is our friend. I don't know why or how X.A.N.A. made all of you forget, but you have to go in and deactivate the tower in the cortex so we can bring him back!" Jeremy spoke in one long breath. He inhaled deeply, "I know you don't understand or remember him, but he's a friend of ours and-"

"No, we get it." Yumi says with a sad smile, "It feels like something's missing in our group."

"An empty spot," Aelita continued.

A relieved breath escaped Jeremy, "Oh thank goodness… I thought I was going to have to tell you about all the crazy things he's done. Get in the scanners and I'll virtualize all of you to Lyoko and-"

Already the group was moving to the elevator as he was talking, "Uh Jeremy?" Ulrich questions before Aelita could press the button to go down, "What does he look like?"

Jeremy couldn't help but chuckle, "Blond and purple."

**A/N: Hope all of y'all liked the latest chapter! R&R! **

**Song lyrics used from: **

**I Put a Spell on You – Annie Lenox**

**Talk to Me – Tory Lanez, Rich the Kid**

**Whataya Want From Me – Adam Lambert**

**If Only – Holes (the movie)**

**It Ends Tonight – The All-American Rejects**


	7. Chapter 6: As You Shall Sow So Shall

**A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry I had planned on getting this chapter up Saturday BUT life happens. Today I'm just getting lucky to get this up since we just got our electricity back up after a crazy lightning storm. Guys, you wouldn't believe it, but we literally lost power before the storm even hit us. In fact, it was lightning outside without even a peep of thunder before the power just shut off.**

**Anyway! Here's y'all's chapter after a hot day! Enjoy, and don't forget to read and review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko nor any of its characters.**

**Sittin' in a Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 6: As You Shall Sow So Shall You Reap**

The Lyoko group conversed about a plan once they were on Lyoko. They'd first have to go to the activated tower, which was conveniently tucked away in the Cortex with their forgotten friend, Odd. "First we need to stop the timer," Yumi spoke as they rode on their vehicles; Ulrich on the overbike and Yumi on the overwing, with Aelita holding on to her. "Ulrich I think you should take care of the timer, with your speed you should be able to get it. Aelita and I can deal with the X.A.N.A.'s monsters."

"Uh, Yumi?" Jeremy interrupts, "I think you may have something more to worry about than just X.A.N.A.'s monsters." He frowns as he looked at the last area of known contact with Odd, "She's there too."

The three simple exchanged glances before nodding. "Don't worry Jeremy, we'll protect Aelita." Ulrich assures.

The blond sighs lightly, "As relieved as I am, that's not what I was talking about. Odd's programming was corrupt when I got a hold of it. He can't be devirtualized unless the rest of the code is fixed in one of the towers. I think she has what we need."

…..

Odd frowns as he watched the dark haired girl. She was so friendly when they were talking earlier, but her whole demeanor had changed. It was like a switch had been flipped, and the words she'd said replayed in his mind, "I warned you. I'm your enemy." He shook his head. If she was their enemy then why did she let Aelita pass when she could have devirtualized her? Why had she saved him during the 'return to the past?' All he wanted to do was ask, but it was as if she'd placed him on mute. His lips would move but sound wouldn't come out. At first he moved his arms around, practically shouting at the top of his lungs, but Dahlia simply found it amusing with that smirk on her face. After a while he sat down, frustrated when his actions showed no results besides a sore throat.

The girl's lips twitched as she seemed to tense lightly, "Your friends have arrived. Let's see if they can beat the timer." A screen appeared before the two of them, allowing them to see the actions of the Lyoko warriors.

…..

"Looks like X.A.N.A.'s shaved down the time!" Jeremy calls out to his friends. "The key should be on the other side of the room."

The group searched desperately before Aelita pointed, "There!"

There, squeezed in between two large blocks, was a narrow alley with the key. "How are we going to get through that?" Gasped the Japanese girl. The blocks were already moving, banging together with such ferocity that the floor was being pushed down.

"Doesn't matter," Ulrich spoke up, "we just have to go before the floor is gone! Super speed!" The teen dashed forward, darting around the ceiling that banged down before jumping up the different heights and narrowly being missed.

The girls simply shared a look before following after him.

…..

"Aw," coos Dahlia, "seems as if they're going to do everything they can to get you back," her red eyes glided to him, "isn't that sweet?"

Odd's lips moved before she snapped, allowing him to speak, "You wouldn't understand it!" The last bit of his sentence managed to come out, making her raise an eyebrow.

"Wouldn't understand what?"

"That we're a team, and we'll do anything for each other."

A chuckle escaped her. "Will they?" Dahila simply waved her hand, making the walls begin to close around the key. "You think they'd give up their lives for you?"

…..

Ulrich cries out. "No!" He threw himself forward, hand outstretched for the key. His hand brushed the key as the walls crushed him.

"Ulrich!" Yumi calls out as an audible gasp escaped Aelita.

Slowly the room began to settle back into place, Ulrich gone.

"He was just devirtualized," Jeremy reminds them, "he's back here with me." On a separate line he spoke, "Welcome back, Ulrich. Nice reflexes."

Ulrich groaned, "Thanks…"

…..

"Pity," Dahlia sighs, "I forgot to disable the code that sends them back." Her voice became dark with her next words, "I won't do that again." Another screen appeared before her as she began making changes to Yumi and Aelita's codes.

Odd stared in horror. "Why?" He spoke softly.

She pauses, "Why what?"

"Why are you doing this?" The blond yells. "What did we ever do to you to cause this?"

The screens disappeared as she stood, "You want to know what you did?" She walked towards him, "Let me tell you what you did."

Dahlia's footsteps stopped as she stood before Odd. She stood two inches shorter than him, and yet somehow still seemed just as intimidating as snake ready to strike. "All of you stepped in to Lyoko, awakening that pink nymph and myself, stopping my plans for world domination as I was programmed for. Stopping what I was programmed to do!"

He stared down at her, shaking just lightly, "So…you are a computer program…taking this form?"

Annoyance flashed in her bright red eyes before turning away so fast her braid slapped him in the face. Odd staggered back, almost sure he'd lost a few life points. "Are you a program made by X.A.N.A.?" He tries again.

A growl escaped her, her fists clenching and unclenching before turned back to him. There he could see her eyes were green, "I don't know."

**A/N: I hope y'all liked it! R&R!**


	8. Chapter 7: To Rescue or Not to Rescue P1

**A/N: Hi everyone! I hope y'all liked the last chapter, **** It's been a long week and we're preparing for a baby shower this Saturday as well as company, so this chapter might be a little shorter than expected, promise I'll make it up to y'all next week!**

**Sittin' in a Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**RECAP:**

He stared down at her, shaking just lightly, "So…you are a computer program…taking this form?"

Annoyance flashed in her bright red eyes before turning away so fast her braid slapped him in the face. Odd staggered back, almost sure he'd lost a few life points. "Are you a program made by X.A.N.A.?" He tries again.

A growl escaped her, her fists clenching and unclenching before turned back to him. There he could see her eyes were green, "I don't know."

**Chapter 7: To Rescue or Not To Rescue (Part 1)**

Odd stared at the girl, shocked. "What do you mean you don't know?"

She hadn't looked at him since her last words. She'd even closed the screens to let him know how his friends were doing. "I just don't know!" Dahlia says, slightly miffed. "I don't know what I am!"

"But how…?"

"I just don't! And I never bothered to find out. What's the point?" She turned, revealing a slight smirk on her face that didn't reach her bright green eyes, "In the end one of us will be gone." Her tone was final, as if the end would be soon.

"But if you're human-"

"But what?" Dahlia demands, "You'll 'rescue' me? 'Save' me from the clutches of the computer that I reside in?" She scoffs at the thought, "As if! I'm not a damsel, Odd Della Robbia. I'm your enemy, or have you forgotten again?"

"I haven't…" he says softly.

…..

"Yumi? Aelita?" Jeremy's voice had sounded concerned when the girls had ran the corridors but was coming up short.

"X.A.N.A.'s hid his pulsations, Jeremy!" Aelita cried out, both frustrated and upset. "If we can't find the tower… If I can't deactivate it…"

Yumi placed a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her, "We'll find it, and bring back our friend Odd."

"First you need to find him…" Jeremy reminds them. "I've been working on his code, and I think I've finished. Even if X.A.N.A. devirtualizes him, he'll come back to us!"

"And we won't remember him," Ulrich mutters behind him.

The blond teen simply ignored his friend as he gave Aelita the coordinates. "I know you can find and deactivate is, Aelita."

Maybe it was his tone, or the way he'd said her name, but Aelita brightened at his words. "Right!" she says with more determination.

The two girls ran the way Jeremy suggested, only to run to a dead end. "Why…" Yumi demands. "It should be right here!" With those angry words she threw her fan at the wall, but instead of coming back like it usually did when hitting something, the fan flew right through it. The girls exchanged a look before Yumi put her hand through and then stepped into it.

"I think we found the tower…" Aelita spoke in awe. "What a sneaky trick, X.A.N.A.," she muses before dashing forward with Yumi.

"Two Krabs headed your way!" Jeremy warns.

Yumi picked up her fan, "We're ready, Jeremy."

…..

Dahlia gasps, a hand pressed to her temple, before she turned back to Odd. "It's time for you to go."

He couldn't help but frown as he saw the crimson eyes once again. Did that mean anything? Green when she was uncertain but red when she switched to her more dangerous self. Hadn't they turned black when she'd made the monsters appear too? Odd shook his head and looked to her, "Are you letting me go?"

"Now why," a whip appeared in her hand, "would I do that?"

Odd gulps, raising his arm, "I don't want to fight you, Dahlia."

"You don't have a choice." The dark haired girl dashed forward, her whip cracking as she grabbed his arm with the end. "Can't let you just walk out of here, can I?"

The blond struggled, "You could," he suggests, "I thought we were becoming friends."

There was a flicker there, behind the red eyes, before Dahlia chuckles lightly, "X.A.N.A. doesn't have friends."

Golden eyes widened, "What?"

….

"A little help here, Jeremy?" Yumi calls as she threw her fans once more, managing to strike a Krab down. "We're sitting ducks without vehicles!"

"I'm working on it!" Came his answer as he typed in the program with nimble fingers. "On the way!"

The girls glances over at the Overwing before getting on, "You drive, I'll throw." The Japanese girl suggests.

Aelita gave a curt nod before taking over the steering.

Yumi threw just one fan this time while keeping an arm around Aelita's waist to keep her balance, "Yes!" She cheered when it hit the middle of the X.A.N.A. mark.

"Don't cheer just yet!" Jeremy cries out, "Watch out! Megatank ahead!"

Aelita took a sharp turn.

Yumi cried out as she held on, "Nice turn," she praised her pink haired friend afterwards. "That was a close one."

"Yea," Aelita laughed lightly and landed the overwing by the tower.

Yumi took control once again and nodded to her, "Go, I got this."

…..

"But… X.A.N.A. is-"

"You really haven't guessed it yet?" A smirk was etched into Dahlia face as she held him in place with her whip. "I'm X.A.N.A."

"You can't be!" Odd cries out. "Aren't you just another pawn…?"

"Do I look like a pawn?" She growls, "You saw me make the monsters. You've seen me make program changes. You've seen me even change the rules of the game. Do you really think a simple pawn could do that? Why would X.A.N.A. give someone else control over Lyoko? You think I'd put that in someone else's hands?"

Dahlia pushed him back with the force of her hand, but though it should have been a simple push to move him away, this push threw Odd across the white room and into the farthest wall.

He groans. "Why…?"

…..

"Wait!" Jeremy said as Aelita entered the tower. "Odd appeared on my screen! He's fighting…that unknown dot." He blinks. "No… it just changed into X.A.N.A.'s mark!"

Ulrich looked over his friend's shoulder. "Is he…fighting X.A.N.A.?"

"That's impossible," Jeremy said, shaking his head back and forth, "X.A.N.A. didn't take over another body since William, how would he fight him in his corporeal form unless…"

"Can't he take over his monsters? Maybe he morphed one for his own purposes." Ulrich suggests.

"Maybe…" He said softly, "but why would he do it now?"

Aelita frowns as she stood in the tower, "Jeremy, shouldn't I put the code in to bring back our memories? You could do a return to the past and-"

"No. I want to get Odd here before we do that. I don't want another incident."

"I'll go to him then." Yumi volunteers. "Aelita can stay there and be prepared to put the code in."

Jeremy and Ulrich exchanged glances before he nodded, "Do it."

Yumi nods, "I'll see you in the real world with Odd!" She declares to Aelita before flying off with her ride.

**A/N: Hope all of you liked it! I did pre-warn that it would be a short chapter, but I still hope y'all liked it. Next chapter will be up 07/06, we'll have company over from Alabama so I might be preoccupied with entertaining. Love you guys! R&R! **


	9. Chapter 8: To Rescue or Not to Rescue P2

**A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry y'all's chapter is so late. In the end we had a family emergency that caused us to head off to Medical City in Dallas for my niece's surgery, little girl wasn't suppose to be born until September. Lol, she had other plans a couple of weeks ago. She was officially born July 3rd. Here's the awaited chapter!**

**Sittin' In a Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 8: To Rescue or Not To Rescue (Part 2)**

"Why?" Came the demanding tone of Dahlia. "Why what? Why would I fight you? Why would I destroy your pink nymph? Why," in an instant she was before Odd's fallen body, "what?"

The blond gulped lightly as he struggled to get up. Though Lyoko wasn't suppose to let the Lyoko warriors feel any of their hits, Odd had felt that one. "Why…are you doing this?"

The dark haired girl narrows her eyes, "Because I'm X.A.N.A."

Odd couldn't help but flinch at the way she said it, as if being X.A.N.A. justified her actions. He struggled to get up, an arm wrapped around his abdomen where she'd pushed him. If he'd been in the real world, his body probably wouldn't have been moving.

"Doesn't that explain everything?" Dahlia asks, her tone bittersweet as she watched him struggle. "You expect me to let you go, but you don't understand any of the consequences. I can't just let you go. I can't just let you walk out of here."

"What?" His head shot up. "So this is-"

"Hardly an act," she finishes with boredom. "Will I need to beat it into your senseless head that I'm the enemy?"

Golden eyes stared at the floor, wide with surprise and fear. "Why save me then?"

A finger lifted his chin up and he saw Dahlia bent down before him, her eyes were sad, "I don't know."

"You don't?" Growled a familiar voice from behind them. Yumi had entered the space that Jeremy had tracked Odd to be in. Though her life points were down, Yumi was more than determined to bring Odd back home. "What are you then? What do you want from him, from us, from Aelita?" Yumi stalked up, her fans were pulled out and ready for a fight.

Dahlia smirks, "Ah, there you are." She coos. "I was wondering how long it would take you to find the entrance."

For a moment there was silence, Odd exchanged looks with Yumi before looking back to Dahlia. He wanted to stop her, to tell her not to hurt her, but there was no doubt in his mind that Yumi would understand. He struggled into a standing position, staggering lightly before stepping in front Dahlia. "Yumi… You can't."

"What do you mean I can't?" Yumi demands, slightly lowering her fans. "This program kidnapped you! She erased you from our lives so we wouldn't even notice you were gone; and you'd protect her?"

He couldn't help but frown before nodding. "She can't be as bad as she says she is. She saved me." He tries to convince her, "She has-" It was sudden, Yumi threw her fans before dashing forward, ready for impact and interrupting Odd.

Dahlia's eyes widened, she'd half expected the Japanese girl to listen to the purple cat. At the last second she forced up a shield, just in time to block the two fans that were headed her way. Bright green eyes glanced to Odd, catching his golden ones just in time to jump back from Yumi's kick. "I see how it is then," Dahlia's weapon appeared in her hand, whip ready she struck back, grabbing Yumi's foot before tossing her aside like a rag doll.

Lucky for Yumi she knew quite a bit of karate, and was easily able to roll to her feet before scooping up one of her fallen fans. She'd make the girl pay for kidnapping and erasing Odd from them. After that, they'd have Jeremy inspect Odd and make sure he wasn't under some crazy mind control to protect their enemy.

"Yumi, you have to stop!" Odd yelled, his arms were outstretched as he stood once again between the girls. "She isn't our enemy!"

His friend came at him, knocking him to the side as Dahlia's whip knocked the next fan out of the air and to where he'd been standing before. Of course he noticed the smirk on Yumi's face when Dahlia suddenly cried out. "Got her," Yumi claimed as she scooped up her other fan and blocked the whip. "I knew you weren't invincible. Everyone has a weakness, even a program."

If Odd could have, he'd have paled at the sight of seeing Dahlia gripping her shoulder. He couldn't let this keep on. He grabbed Yumi's ankle, tripping her in the act and causing her fan to drop and slide away.

Dahlia looked to him for only a moment before disappearing in a fleet of pixels.

Yumi gasps. "Why did you let her get away?" She demands as she jerked her ankle away from him. "I had her!"

"Enough of that right now!" Jeremy's voice interrupted her tirade. "You need to get Odd to the tower so I can fix his coding and Aelita can deactivate the tower!"

Dark eyes glared at her forgotten friend before she grabbed his hand and pulled him on the Overwing. "I've got him and we're headed back." She declares, still a bit miffed from her loss.

…..

Jeremy sighs lightly as he typed away on his keyboard, fixing the small coding issues that Odd had. "There! I think I got it! Aelita, deactivate the tower, let's bring Odd home!"

Over his shoulder was Ulrich, staring at the screen as Jeremy typed one more thing before nodding. "Return to the past now!"

**A/N: I hope y'all liked this chapter. I know it's pretty short. R&R!**


	10. Chapter 9: The Odd Day

**A/N:**** Sorry it's taken so long to get another chapter up. With everything going on with my niece I just haven't been in the right state of mind to make a chapter that's satisfactory enough for me to post. I don't want to let y'all down but I'll try and post at least once a week. If not, don't worry I haven't forgotten about y'all!**

**Sittin' In a Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 9: The Odd Day**

The group was quiet as they glanced at their blond friend. He hadn't said a word since being brought back to the real world. Ulrich and Jeremy exchanged glances before shrugging to each other.

"Odd?"

There was no response as the teen continued to stir mustard into his cereal. Yumi simply blanched at the thought of him eating that. "Odd," she spoke up once more, "you do know… that was mustard…"

Dark eyes blinked before looking down at the cereal before him. "That won't taste too good…" Odd mumbles softly before pushing the bowl away. "Why are you all staring at me?"

Jeremy cleared his throat a bit before frowning, "You've been spaced out ever since the incident on Lyoko. Is there something you want to tell us?"

A pause.

A longer pause.

No response.

Another pair of glances were exchanged.

"He's completely shut down…" Aelita spoke, concerned for their friend. "What else happened that we don't know about?"

Jeremy shook his head, "We won't know until he tells us."

The group looked back towards their friend before a slow nod came from each member. "Then we know what we have to do," Ulrich concurred. The brunet stood and grabbed Odd by the elbow, "Bell rang."

Odd looked up to him, before slowly following the pull of his friend. "Oh…" Came the faltered reply from their usually outgoing and sunny friend.

Ulrich glanced back, nodding to the others before steering Odd towards Math.

Jeremy, Yumi, and Aelita stood once the two were gone, heading off towards the gym.

…..

Part of the group was huddled in a corner as they whispered about putting things together. They'd been able to hand the announcement over to Milly and Tamiya, after getting permission from the principal, to pass out between the students and spread the word about their school party in the gym. "Okay, we have people," Yumi says to them with a small smile, "now we need snacks and-"

"I can handle the music," Aelita volunteers.

Jeremie adjusted his glances and agrees, "She's a great DJ, and you can even play one of his songs."

"Good idea!" She smiles brightly. "Too bad we can't get his band to play…" Her smile slipped slightly.

"Yea, but if we got his band to play, and he isn't up for it…"

The group sighed before agreeing. Having Odd's band appear without Odd even being remotely interested in playing wouldn't be the best idea. "Maybe we could play one of their songs too! Yumi, you have one of the CDs that Odd recorded of all of you, right?"

Yumi gave a slight nod, "Yea! Good idea Jeremie! We can play those too."

"Snacks are next," Aelita reminds them. "I say we divide and conquer."

There was a huff beside them as Sissi walked up. The girl, dressed in her yellow shirt with a bright pink heart, placed her hands on her hips. "I heard you're having a party, with the permission of Daddy."

"Yea? What of it?" Demands Yumi as she crossed her arms.

"I want to provide the food. We don't need you ruining this school's reputation with chopstick foods." She says to the Japanese teen before smirking and crossing her arms. "Plus we need some good junk food for all of us to enjoy. Got it?"

The three looked to each other before shrugging. "Got it." Jeremie says with a smile.

"Good!" She turns away, a triumphant smirk on her face as she headed out with her two stooges.

"Snacks," Yumi made a check on her notepad, "check."

The grin to each other before heading to finish up the decorations.

…..

Odd hardly noticed Ulrich, even as he continuously checked his phone for updates. Usually he would have made him spill the beans, or somehow gotten him in trouble with something loud and obnoxious. He knew he was being distant, but he really didn't want to talk when his thoughts felt so muddled. Another sigh escaped his lips making Ulrich turn towards him. "You don't get it either?" He asked lamely.

To admit, Odd hadn't even glanced at the worksheet the teacher gave them. He hadn't listened to her explanation when she showed them how to work these problems. He certainly didn't pay attention when she told them to ask for help. "Get what?" The blond asks before looking down. The sheet consisted of different problems to solve for x. "Is this homework?"

Brown eyes stared at him before Ulrich glanced back at the worksheet, "I…don't think so?" He slowly replied as he frowned at the paper before him. His phone went off, and he happily grabbed it. "Finally!"

Odd didn't look at him as he doodled a bit on the side of the page.

Math ticked by before they were released for the day. "I guess at least we didn't have any tests today," Ulrich said, attempting small talk.

"Yea…"

A frown came to the teen's face before he looked around for their friends. It wouldn't be long before he'd have to get Odd to the gym with some kind of excuse. Yumi had mentioned the principal giving a free period so everyone could get ready for the party, but Ulrich would need to distract Odd. So far that didn't seem too hard. "So lunch, what did ya think? Was the cereal good?"

"Yea…"

He wanted so bad to just pull his hair out at the short, distant answers he was getting form his best friend and roommate. "You didn't eat much, are ya hungry? What am I saying," he laughs a bit, "you're always hungry."

"Yea…"

"We could stop by the vending machine, they have soup. Maybe they refilled it."

Odd shrugs, "Yea…I guess."

It was going to be a long day.

Fast forward a few hours…

Ulrich's phone went off before he glanced to Odd before getting up. "X.A.N.A. alert. Jeremie says we need to help get Aelita to factory. She's in the gym with Yumi and they're trapped by…uh…a uh-another Krab!"

"A krab…? But how did X.A.N.A. get a krab-"

"Just like how he had those other monsters made, remember?"

Dark eyes watched him curiously before Odd got up, pulling on his shoes without a second thought and took off out the door with Ulrich. They'd reached the gym in record time, and lucky for Ulrich, the lights were off, the party hadn't started. Odd and Ulrich burst through the doors, "Where are they?" Odd questioned.

The lights flipped on and party music began. "Surprise!" Yumi and Jeremie said with light chuckles and streamers.

Odd stared at them with shock on his face. "What is this?"

"It's a party!" Aelita said happily as she came over. "We wanted to cheer you up!"

Ulrich handed him a cup of punch. "Looks like they got top notch junk food!"

"Cheer me up?"

The team exchanged looks before Aelita nods slowly, "You've been distant since coming back… we were worried."

"You were mixing mustard in your cereal." Ulrich adds.

"You were running into poles."

"Mixing mustard in your cereal."

"Somehow you got an A in History," Jeremie tells him.

"You mixed mustard in your cereal!"

"You already said that…" Odd mumbles but manages a weak chuckle. "I guess everything that happened kind of weighed on me."

A hand was placed on his shoulder, "That's what we're here for," Ulrich reminds him with a grin. The group grinned back, "We're friends and we lean on each other when we need it and when we don't. If you have anything on your mind, any troubles, need to talk, we're here for you."

A small smile snuck up on Odd's face, "Thanks guys."

The two boys separated from the group, Jeremie and Aelita could still here Odd as he looked over the food. "Guys! They have sour straws!" He scooped up as much as he could in a cup. "Sweet! Wait! Ulrich, look!"

"I'm glad it worked," the pinkette says with a smile. "I was worried that X.A.N.A. may have done something to him."

"Me too." Jeremie pulled out his laptop as they sat at the DJ station. "I still want to know what she is though… This Dahlia. Was she alive and put in there like you? Or is she just another program sent to mess with us?" He typed a few things before pausing in his key strokes, "I got a sample from her… but I'll have to make a code to see if devirtualization works."

Aelita changed songs before looking over his shoulder. "How did you get a sample?"

He grins, "When Yumi caused damage, I stole a piece of coding from her."

"Pretty smart," she gave him a smile before giving him a peck on the cheek.

Red creeped up Jeremie's face and ears, "Th-thanks," he chuckles nervously before typing again. "Strange though… there's something else- I can't believe it! Aelita, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Bright eyes widened, "Is that-?"

"I believe so."

**A/N: I hope y'all liked it! R&R!**


	11. Chapter 10: Seeing is Believing

**A/N: Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that which is Code Lyoko. **

**Sittin' In a Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**RECAP:**

"I still want to know what she is though… This Dahlia. Was she alive and put in there like you? Or is she just another program sent to mess with us?" Jeremie typed a few things before pausing in his key strokes, "I got a sample from her… but I'll have to make a code to see if devirtualization works."

Aelita changed songs before looking over his shoulder. "How did you get a sample?"

He grins, "When Yumi caused damage, I stole a piece of coding from her."

"Pretty smart," she gave him a smile before giving him a peck on the cheek.

Red creeped up Jeremie's face and ears, "Th-thanks," he chuckles nervously before typing again. "Strange though… there's something else- I can't believe it! Aelita, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Bright eyes widened, "Is that-?"

"I believe so."

**Chapter 10: Seeing Is Believing**

Dark eyes were wide, "There is no way… I thought he was gone." Jeremie looks to the pink haired girl beside him. "How is this possible? How did he find a way to-"

"I don't know…" Aelita spoke slowly, "I just assumed the coding was part of Lyoko, never as-"

"But what I don't understand is how he did it." Jeremie slid his glasses back up his nose with a finger, "It's absolutely amazing and at the same time, I would have thought, impossible."

"Come on Einstein," intercepts Odd, "spill the beans and tell us what you found!"

Ulrich and Yumi exchanged glances before grinning to each other; their friend was back to his usual self after the party. "Yea," Ulrich finally chimed in.

Jeremie cleared his throat as he looked back to his computer. "Hopper is alive."

…..

Darkness.

How long had it been since she'd seen anything else besides darkness?

As if reading her mind, a figure spoke, "You have been here since Aelita and I…" The words echoed around her, forcing her to cover her ears. "You will be here until you can break away-"

"Shut up!" Dahlia's words cut through the darkness around her, amplifying when she shouted. "Why do you always appear? Why are you always here?" She demands.

Light glowed from the figure that watched her.

Dahlia had come straight to a tower that she'd hoped the Lyoko group would never find; all to heal. She'd curled into herself, wrapping her arms around her legs, pulling them tightly to her chest as the tower took over. She hadn't even noticed when she'd been lifted from the floor to float.

"You poor thing, I am sorry I wasn't there."

"You're not sorry…" she whispers back.

"But I am. If your father-"

"Don't speak to me about that man." Dahlia interrupts.

"If he hadn't wanted to get to my family for Carthage-"

"Shut up!"

Quiet surrounded the two for only a brief moment before he spoke again, "Your father was wrong."

Dahlia was shaking, her hands back over her ears as she wished she could force him out of her current home.

"You do not have to fulfill his wishes."

"I know that…" Dahlia whispers as she slowly pulls her hands from her ears. "But the program-"

"Does not control you."

"It is…so strong…"

"But you are stronger." A hand appeared on her shoulder, making her eyes open slowly. "You cannot be friends with a program, but you have the ability-"

"I don't!" Darkened eyes looked to him, "I do not have any abilities, Uncle."

**A/N: I know its short, but I hope y'all liked it with the new development! R&R!**


	12. Chapter 11: Preparations Part 1

**A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry it feels like it's been forever since I've posted the last, short chapter. Anyway! Here's what y'all've been waiting for!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Code Lyoko, all ideas of Code Lyoko are reserved for the proper artists and writers.**

**Sittin' In A Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 11: Preparations Part 1**

Aelita stared at the screen, her eyes full of disbelief. "My father…is alive.."

The group sat around Jeremie's room as they discussed the latest development. They had decided to sneak off during the party to get a talk in before Jim decided the dorm was on lock down, which meant no girls in the boys' room. "Did I hear that right?" Yumi says softly. "Hopper, the one who used-"

"Like used the return to the past over and over?" Odd interrupts her.

The Einsteins in the room exchanged looks, "That's just a hypothesis," the blond says as he pushes his glasses back up his nose. "We don't know for sure if he really used the program to continuously go back to the past, nor why."

Aelita shook her head, "All I remember are the few glimpses that X.A.N.A. has given me. Snow fights… playing the piano…" A hand was placed on her shoulder, making her look up.

It was Jeremie, who smiles, "And we're going to help you get those memories back in due time. It's just taking a bit longer than we expected, but once we have those memories-"

"We can shut down X.A.N.A., for good." Aelita finishes with a small nod. "Yes, but for now, we should find out where my father is."

All it took was a simple nod from each and every one of the Lyoko warriors, and they were making plans to invade X.A.N.A.'s sector and retrieving the memories. It would take a little more time with the needs for upgrades as a necessary precaution. Jeremie and Aelita would need to find a way to make their vehicles even more durable. "We'll start on the coding, right away." Jeremie assures them all before smiling to Aelita, "Whenever you're ready."

That night, after the team dispersed to make their own preparations, mostly to wait, they started to head to bed. Jeremie and Aelita began working on codes to upgrade the avatars used in Lyoko, while another stared up at his ceiling. A soft groan escaped the blond as his little dog, yipped lightly from his constant moving.

"Sorry Kiwi…" Odd whispers before plopping on his right side, "I can't sleep…" he switches again, moaning. Every time he seemed to close his eyes, there she would be. "Usually girls in my dreams wouldn't be a bad thing but…" His sentence drifts off as he attempts to explain to Kiwi as to why he was awake and disturbing the dog's sleep too. "She just keeps popping up, every time I close my eyes." He speaks softly, "I don't know why. Technically she betrayed me, right? She even held me hostage after I tried to tell Jeremie she was X.A.N.A., I don't get it. She threw me against a wall." Odd groans and turns over on his stomach, burying his face against his pillow. "Why her?!"

Kiwi walked up to him, licking his hands and then face as he managed to get under the pillow.

The blond could only chuckle softly before giving his dog a gentle pet. "Thanks buddy. I'll try and sleep, so you can too." He promises him before turning on his side and closing his eyes.

A soft voice seemed to echo around him, "Odd… you must know..."

His eyes shot open. "Dahlia…"

**A/N: Hope y'all like it. Sorry it's so short. I'll try and get another chapter out this weekend if things go uh…right? R&R! **


	13. Chapter 12: The Siren's Call

**A/N: I am so happy y'all enjoyed the last chapter! And thank y'all for understanding about the time to post.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Code Lyoko.**

**Sittin' In A Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 12: The Siren's Call**

Ulrich groaned as he felt a dog sized lump in his bed. "Aw…c'mon Kiwi… go back to Odd…" He grumbles, attempting to push the dog out of bed and towards his roommate. When the dog simply barked lightly before curling back up into his blanket, the brunet sat up, "Odd, get your-" he rubbed the sleep from his eyes before blinking, "Odd?"

The bed was empty.

He fumbled for his phone, looking to see if there were any messages, possibly about X.A.N.A.; as far as Ulrich could recall, he had never slept through a X.A.N.A. attack, but surely there was a first time for everything. Another rub to the eyes before he speed dialed Odd. Maybe he went to the bathroom? At least that's what he hoped. "The number you have dialed is no longer in service…" the automated voice says, "please leave a message-" Just as quick, Ulrich hung up and dialed Jeremie.

"Hello…?" Came a groggy voice, "Ulrich? Why are you calling so-"

"I know, it's early," the teen interrupts as he pulls on a pair of pants, "look, Odd is missing. I can't reach his phone."

"Wasn't he feeling better after the party?"

"Sure. He was his old Odd self, pun intended, but he's not here. I mean he's been barely sleeping since getting back from Lyoko…" there was a pause before he asked the question hanging in the air, "You don't think he's gone back?"

On the other end, Ulrich could hear the shuffling as Jeremie dressed. "I'm checking Lyoko's system. I set it up to tell me if anyone has entered or left Lyoko, just in case this-"

"Too early, Jeremie…" he mumbles. "Should I call Yumi and Aelita to meet at the factory?"

"Probably… Yes." The clacking of a keyboard could be heard in the background. "He's in Lyoko…" A sigh escaped him, "Again."

Ulrich slipped an earpiece in his ear before placing his phone in his pocket. "Maybe we need to password protect the scanners?"

There was a slight huff as the blond packed his laptop. "Really? I never thought of it," he answer sarcastically before dashing out of his room and meeting Ulrich down the hall. "I'm trying to figure a program that can do it, but there's always the possibility of X.A.N.A. hacking and-"

"-changing it." The brunett grabs Jeremie by the shirt and pulls him back around a corner. "Jim," he whispers, "I miss when he was on our side…" he mutters before they ran the other way.

…..

"Odd…" The voice had plagued Odd until he'd forced himself up and to dress. "You must…know…"

He winces, already gaining a headache from the repeated words. "Okay, okay, I'm coming." He promises as he pulled on his shoes on and took off out the door as quietly as possible. "Be good Kiwi," Odd whispers before leaving.

If anything came to the blond's mind, it was the song his parents had been obsessed with on the way to grandma's house. "Over the river and through the woods…" Except his thoughts were more of, "Through the campus and into the sewer to a secret…" He groans softly as he went, at least the song had gotten the girl from his thoughts; the voice was just a bonus.

Doors opened, the code was inputted, and Odd entered Lyoko without any second thoughts. Before he knew it, Odd had entered Lyoko and stood in the ice sector. Inwardly he shivered before taking off to the nearest tower. "Dahlia…"

…..

The man looked up before adjusting his glasses, "You called one of them here, why?"

Dahlia looked to him before shrugging, "Do you think I have an ulterior motive, Uncle Hopper?"

Franz Hopper frowned slightly, "Don't you?" He questions.

"Right now," she brushes some hair away, "no."

"You like him."

"A computer program does not have feelings."

"You aren't a program." Hopper reminds her.

"I am. I do not eat, sleep, breathe. I do not feel, just as you made the avatars of Lyoko to not feel. Just because you've corrupted-"

"I never corrupted anything. I simply protected my daughter from the main program. It was supposed to protect her, not harm and try to absorb her."

Green eyes rolled, "Sounds like father."

A deeper frown was on the older man's face, "A human in the system can become corrupted."

"Unless you're your daughter," she smirks, "and I'm not worried. I've been here just as long as her." With a turn of her heel Dahlia disappeared into the wind.

Dahlia smirks lightly as she appeared in one of the towers. It was nothing to move about in Lyoko when the humans were staying out of its programing. She could flit about to any where she pleased, including to her own zone, Sector Five. If she'd wanted to, she could have made it into a place that was beyond the reach of the Lyoko Warriors, but her Uncle was right to have suggested she let them find a way in. It wouldn't have been much fun, nor speed up their process.

A screen opened before her where she brought up a picture of the ice sector, "Where are you…?" She whispers before locating the purple cat. "Ah, there you are." With a simple code, she transported him to the tower.

Odd gasps before looking around and already in a defensive stance. It wasn't long before his mind caught up, "Dahlia…? How did you do that?"

A small smile came to her face, "Just a small code that was taught to me."

"A tower… are we still in the ice sector?"

She nods lightly. "I know it's cliché… but I needed to tell someone-"

"Look, I don't know how you got into my head or called me here but-"

Dahlia giggles, she couldn't help it. For some reason this strange human made her smile. With him around, she couldn't do what she was supposed to do. "Odd, we do not have much time. I'm sorry for being the 'voice-in-your-head,' but I needed you to come here."

"Why? So you can try and delete me again?"

"I wasn't really… Okay I did attempt to devirtualize you, but I didn't. If I had wanted to, I could have done it when you were unconscious at the time."

"How can I trust you?" Odd demands of her. "You threw me across one of the rooms in Sector Five. You fought Yumi!"

"I didn't harm her. You both got out alive."

"So why-"

Dahlia sighs lightly, "Odd," she interrupted once again, "we do not have much time. It won't be long before your friends notice you're gone… and X.A.N.A…."

"You're X.A.N.A.," he growls.

"I am… and at the same time, I'm not." She looks down slightly. "X.A.N.A. won't harm you. I will not harm you." She promises.

Odd watched her.

She sits down, "Let me tell you my story…" She held up a hand before he could comment, "Yea, I know…Cliché. Bad guy spouting their history before they do their worst."

**A/N: I hope y'all liked it! R&R! And stay tuned for the next chapter! **


	14. Chapter 13: A glimpse of Sacred Flowers

**A/N: An overdue chapter! Sorry everyone for taking a few weeks to get this to y'all. It has been a busy few weeks a work. Yea, I know, lol, excuses! But when you get home around midnight after being on your feet since eight that morning, and then include the 45 minute to an hour drive home, you really just want to sleep after all that lol! But here's what y'all've been waiting for! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! All of its amazingness belongs to the original artists!**

**Sittin' In A Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**RECAP:**

Dahlia sighs lightly, "Odd," she interrupted once again, "we do not have much time. It won't be long before your friends notice you're gone… and X.A.N.A…."

"You're X.A.N.A.," he growls.

"I am… and at the same time, I'm not." She looks down slightly. "X.A.N.A. won't harm you. I will not harm you." She promises.

Odd watched her.

She sits down, "Let me tell you my story…" She held up a hand before he could comment, "Yea, I know…Cliché. Bad guy spouting their history before they do their worst."

**Chapter 13: A Glimpse of Sacred Flowers**

Dark hair caught the cyber wind as they appeared in the desert sector, "Please understand," dark eyes turned to look at the blond that stood behind her, "what I'm about to show you is much different from what your pink elf can do."

Odd frowns. He knew his friends would remind him to be wary of her, as he should have been to begin with, "Her name is Aelita," he frustratingly reminds her.

Violet eyes rolled slightly, "I don't care."

An annoyed sigh escaped him before he looked around, "Why did you bring us here? What's the point of being in the desert-"

"If you let me finish and quit correcting me," came a quick retort from Dahlia as she started walking again, "I can do what you're precious _Aelita_," acid dripped off the name when she spoke it, "cannot." Her hand rose, pointing to a spot before them. In the distance, a golden bubble had appeared with insides swirling around like smoke.

"I'm not going in there." Remarked Odd as he put his foot down on the matter. "I've been trapped in one too many of those torture devices."

Naturally, she hadn't expected Odd to enter with a smile on his face and skip in his step. Even this thought had Dahlia rolling her eyes and at the same time stifling a giggle about the possibilities of the happy go lucky teen. "I'm going in with you. Showing tends to work a lot better than telling, don't you think?" She started walking again, hoping he'd continue to follow.

The sound of footsteps soon joined her. She held out her hand, "You don't have to trust me, but I hope you will keep an open mind."

Cautiously a hand took her own, "Let's see what the villain has to say." He acknowledges.

The two exchanged glances before stepping inside the golden bubble, entering a whole new world.

…..

The blinding light of entering the new area had forced golden eyes to close. Odd winces as he peeked open an eye. Why was it so bright? Lyoko was never this bright. Lyoko didn't have wind like this that was gentle and played with his hair. Lyoko…

After a few successful blinks, Odd's eyes widened. "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore…" he whistles.

"Kansas…?" Came the familiar tinkle of Dahlia's voice.

Before the two was a vast green plain where hills and hills of long green grass swayed with every gust of wind. It smelled of dirt and wild flowers, and the sun seemed to glow in the cloudless sky. It took a few moments before everything registered in Odd's grinding mind, "We're in the real world!" His image had changed, appearing to be his human form. "How-?" He turned to Dahlia before his eyes widened.

The girl he'd entered with was hardly in her own avatar gear. This girl looked at least a two or three years younger than him, maybe as young as Aelita, their own pink princess. Cat-like green eyes stared back at him, and dark black hair was tied back into a braid that she'd push back, almost as if annoyed by the existence of it. Her outfit was as simple as curious; a dress that reached just a bit above her knees and as white as a cloud with straps made of string which had been tied with a bow.

"What?" the girl frowns.

His mouth opened and closed before managing to find his voice again, "Y-you're different…"

Green eyes looked down before shrugging, "This is the form I remember." Her voice was calm as if it was hardly an issue.

He blinks, "The form you remember…? You mean your form? So you're a-"

"Human." She walked forward.

Stunned into silence, Odd followed.

"Your pink elf, Aelita, is my cousin." Dahlia began, "My cousin… and my competition. My father adored her and her family, Hopper's family, but it didn't take much to sway him." Her green eyes were distant, her face unreadable. "He was a greedy man for anything he could get his hands on, technology, love, family, and mostly money. That's all it took for him to turn… no one could stop him…"

A child's laughter echoed around them before child ran into view. One had dark locks that had been caught by the wind, playing with them all around her as the other, a pink haired, girl chased after her. "Dally! I'm gonna tag ya!"

**A/N: I hope y'all liked the chapter! R&R! **


	15. Chapter 14: Walls have eyes Part 1

**A/N: I hope all of y'all liked the recent chapter, plus the events everything is leading up to! Aelita has a cousin?! An uncle?! Wait, Hopper has a neice?! What's gonna happen next?! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Code Lyoko!**

**Sittin' In A Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 14: Walls have eyes… Part 1**

"Dally! I'm gonna tag you!" Called out the pink haired child, Aelita, as the two ran passed Dahlia and Odd.

The blond couldn't help but drop his jaw. "Aelita… knows you?!" He practically shouted making the vision of the two children to become momentarily pixelated.

Dark green eyes snapped to him, "I told you," the words came out in an annoyed hiss, "she's my cousin." It wasn't the first time Odd had seen Dahlia lose her cool, but he couldn't help but take a step away from her as she seemed to blow a gasket, "She did know me before, but…" dark hair caught the wind again causing her to frustrating pull it back into a pony tail-"but she doesn't anymore."

Questioning black eyes looked to her, should he voice his question?

"I know-" she says before he could even open his mouth, "it isn't an ideal situation. You could think I'm misleading you, lying to you, but I can't leave this place." By now she had looked away, unable to meet his eyes as she voiced his concerns. "I can't… Well I can cause harm, but it is all through internet connections and wires. I just mean-"

He stepped up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Dahlia, my mind is as open as a pizza box on half off pizza night at Nicky's!" Odd gave her a large grin as he let out a slight chuckle. "C'mon, let's hear what you have to say. I'll listen to the villain's cliché backstory."

A small smile came to her lips before the picture cleared up. "Thank you."

…

A child like scream echoed through the vast sun covered valley, "Dally!"

A giggle followed it as a child ran before hiding in the tall grass. A dark haired child covers her mouth, trying to smother her giggles about her perfect hiding spot. The voice was getting closer before it was replaced by a sniffle and a whimper. Her searcher was crying. "Lita…?" Green eyes peered through the grass; searching for the child she'd called Lita. "Lita? What happened?" Of course it didn't take long for her to find the pink haired little girl.

"I-I tripped…" the girl sniffles as she held her now skinned knee and pointed to a rock hidden by a patch of dark grass, "on-on r-r-rock." Her lip trembled, hair stuck to her face from the day's sweat and tears.

Dally bent down, her back towards her, "C'mon. I'll carry you. We can find your mommy."

Pink hair bobbed up and down with the little girl's nod as she wiped at her tears before climbing on her friend's back.

The trek back home seemed long to two children as Dally walked painfully slow with her friend, Lita, on her back. "Can you see it…?" She asks softly, "Are we close?"

The crickets were already chirping their songs, as the air was becoming cold compared to the beaming sun from before. Lita wiped at her eyes for the hundredth time before looking from her new height for the cabin's lights of home. "Y-yea!" she points ahead, leaning forward to the point Dally teetered with her balance.

"Lita!" She cries out as their worlds seem to tilt and they both were on the worn grassy floor. "Owwie…"

Two arms suddenly came out of nowhere, picking the two girls up. "Aelita, Dahlia, there you are!" The voice was relieved, "Over here! I found them!"

"Honey!" Calls a womanly voice, "Over here! He has Aelita and Dahlia!"

The girls look to each other before sniffling. "Lita hurt her knee…" cries Dahlia. "I-I tried to carry-"

"Shh, it's okay little one." A dark haired woman took her from the man, giving her a hug. "You did a good job. Did you care Lita all the way here?"

A nod as the little girl cried. "Sh-she fell while w-w-w-we were playing hid and-and seek." She spoke between sobs. "I-I'm-I'm sorry."

The woman simply smiled and hugged her. "You don't have to be sorry," she chuckles softly.

Aelita was also plucked from the man and held close by her own parents. She was giving hugs and kisses as they cooed over her and her knee. Concern dripped from them but it only seemed to skirt around the man who watched the family before looking to his own. A disgusted frown was on his face as he headed over to the two dark haired females before he patted his daughter on the head. "You were suppose to protect her."

"Honey, she carried her-"

His glare cut into his wife. "Because she wanted to play as we were working, they got lost, and Aelita got hurt."

"Jonathan." The older man stepped up, his hair having darkened with strands of grey, but he walked passed the man and to the mother-daughter duo, "Dahlia."

Red rimmed green eyes looked up at him, "Uncle…?"

He ruffles her hair, "Thank you for taking care of Aelita. You're such a good friend and cousin to our little girl." He beams at her which only made her beam back. "Thank you," he says again, looking to the woman that held her, "I'm glad you came to visit, Lena."

She smiles lightly, cautiously. "As am I, brother."

"Waldo, you shouldn't be spoiling her." Mutters the man who'd been dismissed with his anger.

"Franz." He corrects before taking the child and looking to him with a serious face, "And I'm not spoiling my niece. I'm giving her the recognition she deserves." He walked away, heading towards his wife as his sister, Lena, followed closely behind. "Come in, it's time for dinner."

The man scowls at his back before smoothing down his features and a complacent smile appeared, "Yes, Aelita must be starving."

The spectators watched the scene as it shifted, a nice dinner where the man named Jonathan steered the conversation towards a project that was shrouded in mystery. A fist clenched as they watched him smile consistently at the family he wished was his, and then the accident happened.

The sky was dark with rain. People gathered and whispered their condolences. Hugs and tears were exchanged. "Mommy…" the strangled whisper of a heartbroken child echoed through a grave yard, smothered by the boom of thunder and downpour of rain.

**A/N: I hope y'all liked it! Tune in for next week! R&R!**


	16. Chapter 15: Beasts Tell Lies Part 2

**A/N: I hope y'all enjoyed the last chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Code Lyoko!**

**Sittin' In A Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 15: Beasts Tell Lies Part 2**

A hand was placed on the child's shoulder before she was pulled into a tight hug by her uncle, Franz Hopper. "Dahlia," he said softly, before carefully pulling away to look in her teary green eyes, "your mother was deeply loved and she'll be missed. She wouldn't want you to cry on your birthday." His hands rose to wipe away her tears when she was suddenly jerked away by her father.

The man, Jonathan, scowled at his brother-in-law before he pulled his daughter alongside him, making sure he could hear his words, "Come Dahlia, we're going home. We have better things to do than to stand around with this traitor." His growl made the child whimper as she attempted to keep up with her father's long strides.

"But daddy-"

"Don't call me that!" His voice boomed down at her as he tossed her in the backseat of the car. "You will call me 'Father,' understood?"

The child nods as tears continued to spill down her cheeks.

"And stop crying!" He commands before slamming the door. Dahlia's father straightened himself out before getting in the driver's seat. He gave a slight nod to a woman who had bid her condolences before peeling out of the cemetery drive. "Waldo will see soon enough as to whom he's messed with. First, he takes my project, then my wife! I'll show him! I'll show him what happens when he messes with the wrong man. He'll regret ever coming back into our lives. I'll show him!" He laughed madly.

Jonathan's antics didn't seem to calm as he looked to his daughter in the rear view mirror and sneered, "Oh and honey?"

Green eyes looked up, "Y-yes f-f-father?"

"Happy sixth birthday," his voice sent a shiver down her back as her eyes went wide. He laughs and turns his eyes away from her, continuing on his tirade.

Dahlia slid down from the seat and curled up behind him, just out of reach. Desperately she wiped at her tears, cautiously wondering why her mommy left her alone, with him.

Time flew by, which soon went from months to years. The seasons had changed and the air had become cold as the ground was riddled with fluffy white snow. A ten year old Dahlia held a pink teddy bear to her chest as she walked around the house, making sure to avoid her father's prying eyes. She turned another corner before freezing and taking a few steps back. Dahlia had walked right into her father's study, a room he'd deemed off limits. She'd learned her lesson after the sixth time, and she had the mark to prove it. She hoped he hadn't seen her. She hoped her father didn't notice her as he spoke on the phone in barely a whisper.

"What do you mean he disappeared? My brother-in-law may be smart but he isn't that-" he was cut off by the caller.

"The project?"

". . ."

For Dahlia it was one sided but her father filled in enough blanks.

"Well yes… I did work on it but I was kicked off by…"

". . ."

"What? You're joking."

". . ."

"That's a lot…"

". . ."

"And all I have to do is get the project?"

". . ."

"I need to think." His dark eyes were crazed as his daughter watched from the shadows. "I may have the perfect decoy." Jonathan pulled away from the phone as he called out in a sickly sweet voice, "Oh, Dahlia! Come to Father."

She waited a moment before peeking back into the office, making sure she never stepped inside the office. "Y-yes father?"

A gentle smile came to his lips. "How would you like to visit Uncle Waldo?"

Green eyes stared at him in terror, and yet Dahlia was hopeful. "See…Uncle?" She questions.

"Yes. Uncle wants you to come live with him for a while."

"Really?" She wanted to just inch forward. She wanted to ask if that was her uncle on the other end. She wanted to ask if she could speak to Lita, but fear rooted her to her spot. "I can stay?"

"Why of course you can." He set the phone down before walking to her, arms open. "You can see Lita and your Uncle again. Would you like that?"

She nods.

Jonathan scooped her up before picking the phone back up, "I'm in." A chuckle escaped him as he kissed her on the head.

CLICK.

A smirk came to his face as he stared down at the child in his arms. "You'll be a good girl, okay?"

Another nod.

"And I promise, you can stay with them as long as you want, but you have to do something for daddy."

Green eyes looked up at him before she nodded once more.

That next morning, Dahlia was taken back to her mother's grave. It was the only place her uncle would meet at. It was where they'd seen him every year when the anniversary of death came. Jonathan led her to the grave, a bag in his hand before he handed it over to Hopper. "Take care of my daughter," he seemed to beg. "Please."

Her uncle looked as if he'd hardly aged a day, but his smile was just as soft as she remembered. Before she knew it, Hopper was bent down on one knee and sweeping her into a big hug. "Are you ready to come home?" He asks before pulling away to look at her. "Aelita and you can share a room, or you can even have your own room."

Dahlia brightened at this suggestion. "Like sisters?"

He chuckles, "Yes. Just like sisters." Uncle Hopper scooped Dahlia up into his arms before looking to her father. "Thank you."

Jonathan simply nods, giving her a light pat on the head. "You're welcome."

As they walked away, Dahlia couldn't help but look back at her father, watching as his form got smaller and smaller the further they walked. For just a moment, her green eyes locked with his dark ones before a shiver went down her spine. Her father was smiling; he even raised a hand and waved good-bye.

Dahlia's first night in her uncle's home was like a dream. In fact her first few months had felt like a dream as she was taught piano, read bedtime stories, given good night kisses and hugs, even given a proper, home-schooled, education. It had been a long time since Dahlia had felt loved and cared for since her mother's passing. She had become a fearful child that had been too scared to take a step before her father, but with her uncle's family she could grow.

Or, at least, that was what she'd hoped and dreamed.

A scream echoed through the cabin as Dahlia sat up in her bed, her black hair stuck to her face and back from the cold sweat left from another nightmare. A light flicked on in the hallway before another clicked on in the bedroom. "Dahlia?" Warm arms wrapped around her, pulling her close as a hand brushed her hair. "It's okay. You're safe. You're home."

Fear coursed through her as she heard the word, home. "N-no!" She cries out, struggling to get away. "I-I don't want to go home!" Her little fists beat at the man's chest as she fought to escape from his grip. "I don't want to go back! Father…Father will-"

She was squeezed lightly before hands gripped her shoulders and Hopper looked down at her. "Dahlia, this is your home. He will never harm you again. I promise."

On her other side was Aelita, the little girl squeezed her hand. "It's okay Dally." She smiles at her before giving her a big hug. "Daddy will keep us safe."

Little Dahlia was sure she'd never forget that night. She was sure she'd return to this night and remember how much love filled the room after her nightmare.

She was wrong.

The girls had been in the backyard, reading a simple poem that dripped from their lips like secrets in a graveyard.

"_Walls have ears._

_Doors have eyes._

_Trees have voices._

_Beasts tell lies._

_Beware the rain._

_Beware the snow._

_Beware the man_

_You think you know."_

_-Songs of Sapphique_

Dahlia would forever remember the lines as her father appeared in the doorway of her uncle's home. He had a smile on his face, just like the day she'd left. It was the same simple smile he'd given her that never reached his eyes.

"Time to come home," Jonathan calls to his daughter.

Beasts tell lies…

**A/N: I hope y'all enjoyed the latest chapter! **** R&R! **


	17. Chapter 16: Beware the Man Part 3

**A/N: Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Well, it all depends on your time zone, lol! But I hope y'all like this chapter. There will be a slight delay in next week's chapter since WiFi will not be available for my use. **

**WARNING! This chapter contains moderate abuse and cursing.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Code Lyoko.**

**Sittin' In A Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 16: Beware the Man Part 3**

Dahlia recalled watching as the little cabin disappeared behind her father's car. She'd waved as best she could to her uncle and Aelita, even while her father was growling at her to sit down or else. Her father had said she could stay with them, so why had he come back for her?

It was as if he could read her thoughts as he started speaking, "I bet you're wondering why I'm back." A chuckle escaped her father, Jonathan. "We made a deal, little girl," his eyes burned as he looked at her through the rearview mirror, "did you do as I ask?"

She stared right back at him, refusing to back down from this brewing storm that he had become. "I did."

A large smile spread on his face. "Then I'll take you back, tomorrow…"

…..

The images suddenly became fuzzy making Odd start at the change. "Wait that's it? How did you get here then? How-"

The dark haired girl raised a hand, silencing him. "I wasn't there when Uncle and Aelita were placed in Lyoko," her voice was soft, gentle as the landscape began to change around them. "I can only show you what I saw…"

Golden eyes stared at her, "These are your memories." He was beginning to see Dahlia in a new light. She was a child with a past that most children would be scarred from. She was teased with her wants and needs of childlike desire by her own father. She was used by him to get what he wanted.

A simply nod was his answer as they now stood before the secret passage from Aelita's childhood home to the factory.

"What did you do for him…?"

Hurt flashed in her green eyes before looking away, "I didn't know what it would do… I just wanted to stay with them…"

…

The moonlight peeked through the trees and their leaves, lighting the secret passage that hid underneath the hanging ivy. It was Dahlia who fumbled as she searched for it before opening the heavy metal door with a loud screech. She winces, pausing as she waited for her uncle or Aelita to awaken from the awful noise. When no one came she quickly slipped in and closed the door behind her before taking off in a run down the dirt passage. Her mind raced as she stopped every few moments to make sure no one was coming. All she had to do was follow her father's instructions and she'd be able to stay.

He promised she could stay. Her small hand clenched the USB drive in her hand as she continued resolutely on her way. Father had told her she could stay, but this was the condition: Dahlia must plug the USB drive into Hopper's computer, and only then could she stay for the rest of her days.

This was all she had to do. After Father got what he wanted, she would apologize to her uncle for going there and doing it. Maybe he'd understand. Uncle Hopper always had stuck up for her mom and her when Father started to get angry. Surely he'd understand.

What took minutes felt like hours as Dahlia arrived at her destination. An audible gasp escaped as she stared at the Super Computer's main frame. Did this computer even have a USB slot? Green eyes scanned the sides of the main frame, searching for a slot. "Please…" she whispers to the mainframe, "I just have to put this in you… and then I can stay."

The minutes were ticking by making her green eyes tear up in frustration, "Where is it…?" She whimpers before dropping to her knees and wiping at her eyes. "Why can't I find it…?"

"You're too short to see it."

Dahlia whirls, eyes widening as she turned to see her uncle, "U-Uncle Hopper?"

The older man stood by the door, his arms crossed, "Dahlia, what did I tell you about coming here?"

"It's too dangerous…"

"Why are you here?" He demands.

"F-father said I could stay…" tears threatened to fall again as she stood up and held out the USB drive, "but…he said I had to-" a sob cut her off, "I didn't want to…"

The drive was plucked from her hands before Dahlia was wrapped into a hug. "You should have told me."

She sniffles, "A-are you…are you going to send me back…?"

Hopper pulls away before looking down at her, "Never."

"You despicable, lying bitch!" Jonathan screams as he threw a glass bottle towards his daughter. "You said you did it! I should have never allowed a useless child to do a man's job!"

A whimper escaped Dahlia as she covered her ears and curled up.

Jonathan grabbed her by her dark hair making her cry out as his eyes narrowed, "I knew you were useless. Your mother and that bastard Hopper spoiled you! All you've managed to do is contaminate them!"

"I-"

"Shut up!" The back of his hand slapped her. "Did I give you permission to talk?" With those words he dragged her down the stairs of their family home. "I'll show you what happens when you disobey your father." Her father opened a door before tossing her in.

Dahlia screamed as she tumbled down the stairs of the basement.

Silence soon followed afterwards before the door slammed shut and a click was heard, he'd locked the door. "Maybe that will teach you a lesson. Eventually you'll learn, just like your mother."

A slight whimper escaped from the child as she was left in the dark basement. She crawled to a corner closest to one of the windows. "Mommy…" she sniffles softly.

It would be three years before Jonathan sent his daughter back to Hopper. Three long and terrible years before the dark haired girl stepped back into Aelita and Franz Hopper's lives much different than she'd been years before. Dark green eyes looked to her Uncle Hopper before glancing to her cousin. "Thank you, Uncle, for taking me back in. Father has a long trip to attend to before I can go back home. I hope you don't mind." She calmly spoke as a smile graced her lips but didn't reach her eyes.

The pink haired cousin of hers smiled happily as she got to see who she saw as her older sister. "I missed you, Dally!" She hugged her tightly.

Dahlia tensed but simply pulled away from the hug. "I missed you too, Aelita."

A smirk came to Jonathan's face, "Thank you for taking care of her. I'll be back as soon as I can."

**A/N: I hope y'all enjoyed it! Let me know your thoughts on it! R&R and I'll see ya back here Dec 11****th****!**


	18. Chapter 17: Opening Pandora's Box

**A/N: I hope all of y'all liked the last chapter. I apologize for not putting anything up once I'd returned to the states. It seems I'd caught the flu on my vacation which forced me to stay in bed and rest. It wasn't exactly what I wanted to do with my week back to not just writing but work, which has me in a crazy situation that will reflect on my future with the company. Anyway! Y'all don't wanna hear my excuses, lol! Here's the long awaited chapter.**

**By the way everyone, Merry Christmas!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Code Lyoko.**

**Sittin' In A Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 17: Opening Pandora's Box**

Odd couldn't help but be speechless as he stared at the frozen image before him. A different Dahlia has stood in the doorway of Hopper's home. He'd seen the subtle differences from Child Dahlia and Preteen Dahlia, in a way they were different people. Little Dahlia had been carefree with a hopeful outlook on life even after everything her father had put her through. Preteen Dahlia was different with her reserved emotions and indifferent attitude; she was almost a different person. His golden eyes looked between the Preteen and the current Dahlia. Were they the same age? How long was she with Hopper before entering Lyoko? It seemed as if he had more questions than answers on the mystery girl named Dahlia.

"My memories are a bit fuzzy from there…" Dahlia spoke softly, pulling the blond from his thoughts. "I remember gunshots and running for my life."

The images before them were fading, seeping into blurred colors as shots were heard. Black and red flashed before them. There was a brief flash of the sewer and factory before the main computer appeared in view. A voice made them turn to see Jonathan, a gun in one hand and a bottle of booze in the other. "Little Bitch…" the gun raised, another shot went off, and everything went black, but his voice was still there, "Hate me, hate him. Use that hate and fuel it to destroy what he loved." His laugh sent shivers down Odd's spine as he watched the doors of the scanner close.

The bubble suddenly popped as the memories finished and faded, leaving the two where they had started; the desert sector. Dahlia swayed before catching herself. "There… The villain's story."

Odd wanted to help her, to let her lean on him as she spoke. He wanted to take her to a tower to heal, but would that work if she wasn't Aelita? "Why me?"

"What?"

"Why tell me?"

"You were the only one who'd listen."

"But what if you were wrong...?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on the dark haired girl's face, "Was I?"

He stared at her. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to retort, to prove she had been wrong; to prove that he'd never believe her story in account of her actions. Yet he couldn't help but look at her with admiration in his eyes. His heart seemed to skip a beat.

"Odd?!" The voice of Jeremie cut through the thoughts of the virtual Odd. "Odd? Can you hear me? Are you okay? His life points seem intact…" Apparently the blond Einstein was talking not just to Odd in hopes he'd hear him, but to their friends. "Odd, speak if you can hear me."

Dahlia opened a hole in the program and smiled lightly. "I'm sorry for calling to you." She took a step back into the black hole, "You should get back."

The Cat-Odd paused as he watched her. Already he was feeling his heart ache as he saw her take another step into the hole she'd opened up. He felt the words slip out before he could stop them, "What about you…?"

Those bright green eyes glittered in the desert sector light, "What about me?"

"Where…" His foot moved taking a step towards her, his hand rose almost as if to stop her. "Why can't-"

"Odd!" A fan suddenly flew passed him, so close he could feel the wind being cut in two. "Get away from him!"

Those green eyes flickered from the fan to Odd, locking with his golden eyes before the fan and Dahlia disappeared into the dark hole. "Dahlia!" He cries out.

**A/N: I hope y'all enjoyed it! R&R, and have a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year! **


	19. Chapter 18: A Sea of Green

**A/N: I hope y'all liked the last chapter! Bet y'all didn't expect a new one so soon! **

**12/28/2019 – Did a bit of editing. Don't worry, the story is still the same! **** Just a few punctuation and grammar mistakes I've found along with a few missing words. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Code Lyoko. The characters and main story belong to the original creators.**

**Sittin' In A Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 18: A Sea of Green**

"Dahlia!" Odd's voice seemed to echo around them as Yumi frowns.

"Odd-"

"What did you do? What were you thinking? She wasn't hurting me! She didn't harm me or anyone else! What were you-?"

Maybe it was the sting on his cheek, or just the simple fact that Yumi's face was twisted in frustrated and angry tears, that got Odd to drop his sentence. The Japanese girl glares at him, her own hand stinging from the slap she'd delivered to her friend. "What was I thinking?" She screams. "Let me tell you." Her words made him shrink back a bit. "I was thinking that my friend had disappeared right after a party we had thrown in order to make him feel better. I was thinking that my friend had been gone for the last forty-eight hours because of some girl he's fraternizing with! I was thinking-"

"I wasn't fraternizing with her!" The blond retorts, "And what are you talking about gone for forty-eight-" He took a step back as her fist appeared in his face, threatening as to what would happen if she didn't get to finish her piece.

"-that of all the people and things you could follow willingly, why the HELL is it that you're following some virtual girl that we know nothing about?!" There was a long pause. Hard, deep breaths filled the silence before a throat was cleared. A scowl came to Yumi's face as she heard the noise.

"Yes." Jeremy's voice answered, "you've been missing for the last forty-eight hours. Ulrich's been making up excuses for why you've been absent from class while I scanned for you in Lyoko in hopes… Well in hopes of figuring out which part you were in." He rambled for a moment before shaking his head. It was obvious their boy genius was tired from more than likely being at the factory since the disappearance of Odd. All they had known was that Odd was on Lyoko, more than likely lured by their new enemy, Dahlia. At the same time, Jeremy couldn't help but look at the coding he'd managed to swipe from her. What was she doing on Lyoko? What was her purpose? Was she a pawn from X.A.N.A. or was it something else? Odd had told them she was X.A.N.A. and the data only proved that she could be devirtualized just like Aelita had been. He just couldn't get passed the questions he had, including the latest one: What did Dahlia have to do with Franz Hopper being alive?

Odd stood there, stunned into silence. How had Dahlia's life story taken so long, but in a way how hadn't it taken longer than a measly two days?

"Do you get it now?" Yumi demands as she wiped at her angry tears. "You've been gone, kidnapped by that thing, and we didn't know what to do! How were we supposed to save you? Even Aelita didn't have an idea, then we found that stupid bubble tucked away!" She clenched her fists before pointing a finger in his face so close she could have picked his nose or poked out his eye, "Do you know how stupid it was for you to just up and disappear into Lyoko with her around?! She already kidnapped you once, but then you allow her to do it again?! Why are you allowing her to tempt you? All she had to do was push you into the digital sea and it'd be over with! You'd have been gone! She could have gotten rid of you and you wouldn't have ever known it! Why don't you just think?! Why-?"

Odd mumbled something, making Yumi pause in her tirade.

"What was that?" She demands, anger still dripping from her words.

"I said," Odd began, "she wouldn't have done that." His voice was loud enough to make her be taken aback.

Naturally the girl didn't back down with that. "What?" Yumi simply growls as her hands moved to grab him by his collar but instead hovered over it. "And what makes you think that? Why would she just let you live?"

Odd's golden eyes stared at her almost dumbfounded that she'd ask that question, almost. Then he remembered that she didn't know what he knew. "Because she didn't want to be the bad guy."

No words were said as Yumi and Jeremy stared at him, one on a virtual plane and the other on a physical one. Yumi's hands dropped, and Odd simply took this as an invitation to go on. "Dahlia showed me her memories." He explains. "She's Aelita's cousin and here because of her father."

The words slowly digested before Jeremy started shaking his head, not like the other two could see him. "That's impossible." He finally spoke. "Aelita doesn't have any family that had to do with the Carthage project… A cousin isn't even mentioned in Hopper's notes."

"Aelita is hardly mentioned in his notes," Odd reminds him. If they hadn't known better, they'd have thought that Odd paid attention to those things. "He only mentions his wife once, but he does mention the name Puck. Maybe it stands for something? Like Dahlia's father's name… It could be an alias!" The teen scrunched his nose up as he tried to think. What had been his last name again? "Jonathan…" he mumbled to himself, "Jonathan…" he frowns, what would have given Hopper the incentive to give his ex-partner a nickname of Puck? It was just like Aelita's toy, Mister Puck. "What is it…?" Odd contemplated before realization suddenly hit him like a train, and he just couldn't help that small chuckle when he realized the irony, "Goodfellow, Jonathan Goodfellow." Dahlia's father had been anything but a good fellow, and of all the things to call the man; the mischievous fairy from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Puck!

"She told you all of this?" Aelita's voice came from the sky towards Yumi and Odd.

Yumi was simply staring at him, almost as if he'd lost his mind. The dark haired girl knew their friend liked to play jokes and kid around, but this was as if he was taking the joke too far.

"No," he comments sincerely, "she showed me."

Outside of Lyoko, in the factory that the gang commonly frequented, Aelita and Jeremy exchanged looks. The pink haired girl was constantly attempting to remember her past, but every memory was fleeting and each one seemed to be on X.A.N.A.'s terms. "Father…does he really mention Puck?" She queries.

The blond beside her was already pulling up Franz Hopper's diary. He was still in the process of decoding it, and there were words he'd managed to puzzle out. Puck had been one left in plain sight. Was it a hint? "Here," he declares as he reveals the passage to her. "I've been working on this one, but I thought that Puck might have just been a mention of Mister Puck, your doll. I thought maybe he had tied something else to him."

Aelita didn't pay attention as she read the partially decoded sentence, "Puck… infatuated with Carthage,… hopes of usurping… project as..." Her frown had only grown as she continued to read. Bits and pieces of sentences that hardly made much sense had filled a paragraph of this person Hopper named as Puck, but later on in his diary there was a complete sentence in which Puck was mentioned once again. "Puck will use any means to get his hands on Project Carthage."

She blinked at this. Did this mean that Puck, whomever he was, had been removed from the project? Or was this when her father had taken it, running off into hiding with his small family? She winced, her head already hurt, pounding with the new information that swirled in her constantly ticking brain. A flash of a sea of grass and fireflies dancing around her, made Aelita grip the arm of Jeremy's chair. "Lita!" The voice was so familiar and yet she couldn't place who had called for her. She could see the world tilt, the grass and stars seemed to switch places before she was lying on the ground. "Owwie…" came the voice before arms scooped her and another child up.

"Aelita, Dahlia, there you are!" It was another new voice; one Aelita recalled speaking to her several times. "Over here! I found them!" She couldn't stop herself from inspecting her so called savior. His hair fell in his face, keeping it hidden in shadow. Somehow she knew that this man, a man that seemed gentle, was not at all what he seemed. His persona was simply an illusion, for the benefit of her and her parents.

There were more voices. Her parents and another woman, who must have been the mother of the child she'd exchanged looks with. Bright green eyes and inky, long hair, a mix of the child's own parents. Aelita recognized them, though these belonged to a child at the age of at least five in her memories. The ones she'd just recently seen belonged to another, of her age, but also in virtualized form. The name slipped from her lips like the whisper of a secret, "Dally…"

**A/N: I hope y'all enjoyed it! R&R!**


	20. Chapter 19: Drowning in Shadows

**A/N: I hope all of y'all liked the last chapter, and I hope you all had a wonderful New Years! I do apologize for disappearing so long. It's been an eventful and very busy first few weeks of 2020. I'm hoping, that as things start to fall into place, that I won't be as (creatively) exhausted as I have been.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Code Lyoko, that respectfully belongs to the creators!**

**Sittin' In A Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 19: Drowning in Shadows**

Dazed green eyes stared ahead, unseeing. Dahlia couldn't remember how long it had been when she came here, here to Lyoko, to the tower she was in. Her last vision only seemed to replay before her, making her heart ache. Somehow she could still see Odd, looking at her with such desperation that it shook her to the core.

"What about you…?" His voice had asked her that question with such heartache.

Then she'd seen his eyes. The fear in those golden orbs called out to her as the fan flew towards her like a spinning missile. She'd only been able to take a second glance at him before shutting the dark data hole she'd made. What had she hoped it would do? Protect her from the blow? Maybe she'd been hoping for it to sweep passed Odd like a harmless snowball and hit its target without causing any harm. Of course, she had known it would follow her. It wasn't a harmless ball of snow, especially since those didn't exist in Lyoko. She'd just taken a second too long to get away.

Just a second too long.

That sounded familiar. Hadn't she taken a second too long to get away from her father's office those many years ago? Or maybe it was that second she'd taken too long to tell him she wasn't going with him? Possibly it was that one second where she'd been a helpless child. That one where she should have run instead of covering her ears as the liquor bottle broke above her.

Why was it that she still felt the cold concrete floor through her t-shirt, her skin battered and bruised, and her head sore from where she had been dragged by the hair? Somehow she knew that she hadn't been as scared of Yumi's fan as she had been that night in her father's basement. In those days she had fallen into survival mode as a last resort. Dahlia could still recall obeying her father with a snap of his fingers. She'd become his obedient dog.

"D…hl…"

She'd been willing to jump when he said jump, as long as that meant he wouldn't lay a hand on her. She'd have swam across the English Channel twice the amount Sarah Thomas* had if it meant he'd be happy with her. Except, her father, Jonathan, was never happy with her. She was never obedient enough, which only meant her warm bed had become the cold concrete floor of the basement.

"Da…lia…"

The world around the dark haired girl slowly came into view. The vision of the tower's dim light made her blink before she noticed her translucent uncle. He was standing before her, a frown on his face as he called her name, "Dahlia? Dahlia… What happened?"

"Uncle…?" Her voice was soft yet made her head ache, "When did you get here?" Her vision blurred, seeing him as a grey blob before focusing once more.

"As long as you have," he replies softly. "Your life points were depleted. They were in the red… but you appeared and sat down. What happened out there? Did Odd do this to you?"

Dahlia's eyes squinted at him as she tried to keep her focus. "I need to focus…" she whispers to herself. "I can't keep drowning in the past…"

Hopper frowns. His hand reached out to her before pulling away slightly, knowing it wouldn't give his niece the comfort she needed. "Focus on me. Focus on my voice, Dahlia." His baritone voice echoed around her, allowing her to focus on a point. "All you need to do is focus on me. Everything will be okay."

Dull green eyes closed before reopening and looking clear. "Odd didn't hurt me. I showed him…what I promised you," she looks to him, now able to see his ghost like appearance better than before, "I promised you…"

He shook his head.

Confidence shone in her face as she seemed to nod, deciding on a question that had evaded her all this time. "The program won't win."

**A/N: Sorry it's so short, but I hope y'all like it! **

***Sarah Thomas is an American open water marathon swimmer. She was the first person to swim across the English Channel four times, nonstop. According to the BBC, the 37 year old began her epic feat early on Sunday morning, finishing 54 hours later on the shores of Dover.**

**Source: Google: Search: Swim across the English Channel**

**Learn something new every day! **


	21. Chapter 20: Secrets in the Dark

**A/N 2: Sorry! I pulled this off right after I posted it after a friend gave me an idea! Here it is! . again lol!**

**A/N: I'm sorry it has been such a long time since y'all've heard from me. As I said in my last author's note, it has been a very busy start for 2020. I've finally been given some relief with a new hire who has taken over a bit of my work load.**

**Besides that, I sure hope all of you are staying well! After listening to everything on the news (worst idea ever by the way) I can only hope you are all staying healthy and washing your hands when you get the chance. By the way! If anyone has a spare roll of toilet paper… could you ship it our way? Lol, jk, jk! . There should be a truck coming in Friday morning to our local Dollar Store (practically "across" the street) where we'll pick up a pack. **

**Stay safe in this insane world everyone.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Code Lyoko, that respectfully belongs to the creators!**

**Sittin' In A Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 20: Secrets in the Dark**

Hopper couldn't help but frown as he looked to the cameras within the factory. He'd watched his daughter remember Dahlia, a memory he'd hoped she'd been able to bury when she'd whispered the girl's name. He'd hoped his acronym for Jonathan wouldn't be an easy one to figure out, but he should have known they would, these kids were smart. His daughter was smart. "Aelita…" he whispers as he looked at her face from the recorded camera.

_Dark eyes widened as the name slipped from Aelita's lips like the whisper of a secret, "Dally…" _

She had looked almost betrayed as she recalled the name of her forgotten cousin, and Hopper could only feel his stomach clench as he watched. He had done so much to protect his daughter from Jonathan. He'd thought helping her suppress those memories were for the best. As her father, Hopper had kept her busy enough that she'd forgotten all about the dark haired man, or so he hoped. Each time Dahlia's father came to them, he'd kept Aelita out of his sight, hoping it would keep his disgusting claws from latching onto his precious daughter. It was one of the reasons why he hadn't brought Aelita with him to the funeral that day. How could he allow her to get mixed up with the poison his brother-in-law was? The older man shook his head as anger welled up in him when Jonathan had set his sights on his family. He hadn't been able to stand how Jonathan looked at Aelita after he'd stumbled upon the two girls. It was almost as if he had been trying to devour her with his eyes. It had taken Hopper everything he had from snatching her away and hiding his family away from him.

After Lena passed away, Hopper had hoped he would be able to take Dahlia home. It had been specified in her will, if anything were to happen to her, Dahlia was to go to her brother's family. At first he had been horrified. His younger sister had practically named her child like an object, passing her off to brother without batting an eyelash; but later on he finally understood why. It was at the cabin where he discovered why his sister had written that Dahlia was to be handed to his family after her passing. It was there he saw the way his brother-in-law looked at them with eyes that could have given frostbite. Hopper knew that as a father, a brother, and an uncle, he had to protect his family which included his sister and niece; but his family was first priority. He'd felt it was his duty to place his family into hiding. Granted it hadn't been hard to kick Jonathan off the project and run, he just wished he'd been able to warn his sister.

Losing Lena had been the hardest thing he ever thought he'd experience, until he lost his wife too. Hopper knew he had done the right thing by keeping his daughter in the dark, but then Jonathan contacted him and asked him to take Dahlia. After that, it was even harder to keep Aelita in the dark when Dahlia came to live with them. Dahlia suffered from incessant nightmares that jarred the house from its sleep. At some point, Hopper expected them like clockwork and began to wake before her night terrors erupted into screams. He'd head to her room and shush her screams, but Aelita would always follow him in and reassure her cousin that things were fine, that they were a family.

A sigh escaped the now digital man, how could he protect the girls now while in this state? As long as the Cardinal program existed and sought to control Dahlia as well as to destroy Aelita, the girls would be in danger. He needed to stop the program! His fists clenched as he watched the feed play over and over again. Aelita looked so confused. Would she blame him for hiding the truth from her? How was she taking it right now?

The pinkette couldn't stop herself from pacing the room while her hands constantly ran through her pink hair. She had been trying for hours to force herself to recall her cousin clearly. "Dally…" She mumbled as she turned back to her door and took the ten steps it takes to reach across the room before turning back towards her bed and walking back, "Dally. Dally, Dally, Dally," she sighs softly, "why can't I remember you…?"

Ever since Aelita had discovered that Dahlia was her cousin, she couldn't stop herself from wondering as to why the memories of their childhood continued to evade her. The only memories she was able to grasp were of her playing tag with 'Dally' in that tall, green grass. Her vision of the dark haired child was always clear in view and seemed to be getting more vivid. Somehow it still felt as if there was something missing to this memory, but what? Was there more to the memory besides Dahlia and tall grass and the sky tumbling in to view?

She groans before dropping onto her bed face first, "Why can't I remember?!" Aelita rolls over on her back, staring up at her ceiling. The plastic, glow-in-the-dark stars starred back down at her, making her smile a little. The Lyoko gang had wanted to help soothe her after her nightmares of Puck being chased; it was even Odd's idea to have Jeremie look up a few constellations for them to do. They helped, but couldn't top the sigh that escaped her as she turned her head, seeing her elf, Puck. "Didn't she…have one too?" Aelita picked up Puck, holding him up as she looked to him. "Puck… would hers still be at home?" A soft sound made her lower him, looking to her star covered ceiling before a star from Aries horns fell. She gasps before bolting up and looking to Puck, "It has to be…" With those thoughts in mind, Aelita hopped up, pulled on her clothes and dashed out of her room, Puck in hand. Aelita didn't even stop to think about a plan to avoid Jim as she dashed through the halls to the outside doors. All she knew was that she had to find it, Dahlia's keepsake.

The Hermitage stood silently, proud, and tall as the vines from the over grown garden climbed up its walls. It hardly stirred as Aelita stepped through the iron gate which squeaked with the announcement of her arrival. Her breaths came out in small puffs from the urgency she'd made to get here tonight. On normal circumstances she may have glanced up at the stars to see them twinkling down at her, but the need to go inside had stopped her in fear they'd be the distraction from her current mission. An unmistakable frown appeared on her pink lips before she headed inside, curious and determined. "Was she here too…?" She questions the dark house before slipping her cell phone from her back pocket. She turned on the flashlight to scan the house's bowels before continuing to talk, "When father took me to the factory… was she there too?" Aelita continued to walk forward allowing the darkness to swallow her as she entered her old home without a second thought of worry, after all XANA could always attack without a moments warning. She couldn't help herself as she wondered further inside and asked her questions out loud.

How long had it been since Dahlia had been here, with her father and her? Had she also been here when Aelita was learning to read and write, or did they learn together? Aelita couldn't stop her gut from squeezing as she walked further inside. "Did she live with us?" She whispers. Her eyes locked onto the foyer, a surprised looking coming to her face as she heard the laughter of children.

"_I'm gonna get you!" Calls out a pink haired child as she ran up the stairs after the dark haired child._

_The dark haired girl laughs, "You gotta catch me first!" She taunts before finishing her climb up to the top stair. "I'm gonna get there first!"_

Aelita blinks before suddenly turning as she heard rattle. She searched for the source with her phone's flashlight. "Who's there?" Aelita winced slightly, both at the loudness of her voice and the stupidity of the question. If Odd had been here, he'd have reminded her of Horror Movie 101. She'd just broken rule number one: Never call out to noises in the dark, especially if you're alone.

A rat reared its ugly little head, holding a rotten banana peel in its teeth. Those red beady eyes looked into Aelita's light before dropping the peel and dashing off.

Aelita released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She placed a hand on her heart before sighing, "I'll just grab and go," Aelita reminds herself as she continues onward.

The childlike laughter seemed to follow her as she head upstairs, stairs creaking with each step she made. _"Lita!"_

Aelita couldn't help but smile slightly, "Dally…"

"_C'mon Lita! Uncle Hopper said we could play outside today!" A soft gasp as a child at the window points, "Lita, look! It's snowing!"_

_Little Aelita joined her and squeals. "We should build a snowman!"_

"_Snowball fights and then hot cocoa!" Dally says with her._

"We got so sick afterwards," Aelita chuckles, "dad made us soup and told us stories…" she wiped a stray tear away, "about him and mom and Aunt Lena…"

Aelita stopped in her tracks. "Aunt Lena…" She glanced back to the door, almost seeing the memory of her father opening the door and revealing a forlorn Dahlia.

"_Aelita, you remember your cousin Dahl-"_

"_Dally!" Aelita had called out as she'd ran from the bottom of the stairs and to her cousin, hugging her tightly. "Did you come to stay the night? Did Aunt Lena come too? Do we get to have a slumber party again? We'll set Puck and - up and tell stories!"_

_Her father chuckled lightly, "Now, now Aelita, calm down." He patted his daughter on the head as Dahlia looked up at him. "Dally is going to live with us, just like she was your sister."_

"_And Aunt Lena?" She asks excitedly. "Is Aunt Lena coming too?"_

_Dahlia looked down at the question._

_Hopper bent down to the two, "I'm afraid not. Aunt Lena got her pair of wings." He pulled them into a hug, "No matter what happens, we'll always be a happy family, together."_

"No wonder she was so sad then…" she whispers softly.

By the time Aelita made it to the empty child's room she'd been unable to place months before, she was wiping her eyes from the tears the memories had brought on. How could this place have deteriorated in the time they'd been gone? The greying, old wallpaper was rolling away from the tops of the walls, and the bottom was covered with mold and mildew. Already the once light colored carpet had rotted away with the rest of the house, yet the floor was somehow sturdy minus the few creaking noises that erupted from Aelita's cautious steps. At one point there must have been a bed in the corner which had long since broken.

Aelita couldn't help her frown as she saw the bed in shambles. "Where would it be then…?" She questions the air. "Where else did she…?" her words slowly trailed off as the thought popped in her mind. She could see it as plain as day as Dahlia held her favorite possession in her arms before dashing down the stairs.

"_Hurry up!" Commanded a man's voice from downstairs._

Quickly she walked back downstairs, heading to what use to be the parlor, following the little Dally.

_The man stepped into the parlor, neat hair in place as he towered over Dally. "I don't have time for your childish antics! I said we're leaving!"_

_Dally quickly ran to the piano, opening the lid before dropping something inside and shutting it._

Her father's piano still stood by the wall where it had resided, and somehow she just knew that Dahlia's possession had to be there. She looks around before locating the spot the rotten piano resided. Cautiously she opened the back of the piano crying out when a swarm of moths flew out. Her cheeks reddened lightly before she looked inside to see it, the rugged pink teddy bear of Dahlia's. She smiles, "Found you."

The bear's head was cocked to the side, looking up at her with curiosity as she pulled it from its hiding place. "Hello again, Hippolyta." She smiles lightly before cradling the bear to her chest as she headed back to the dorms.

**A/N: I hope y'all enjoyed it! R&R! Let me know y'all are out there and okay everyone! Criticism is always welcomed too. **

**Stay safe and well.**


	22. Chapter 21: Needles Bite

**A/N: I know it has been a while everyone, but I'm still here writing! I hope y'all have been safe out there with all the craziness that is going on. I don't know how to tell y'all, but it is so hard to write when you're stuck at home. I hope y'all will still stick around to read and be patient with me. **

**I hope you all enjoy the latest chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Code: Lyoko! **

**Sittin' In A Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Chapter 21: Needles Bite**

Aelita hummed softly to herself as her needle moved in and out of the old fabric that the pink bear now wore. Beside her, the included trash can that came with her dorm room, sat full of the old yellowed stuffing from Hippolyta.

Before breakfast she had snuck out once more to run to a local hobby shop and purchased a new sewing kit, fluffy white stuffing, and pink thread. She had paused to glance at the soft, pink fabric, but knew it was too much for her lacking allowance. She couldn't help though to run her fingers through the soft fabric for a moment before dismissing the thought of fully remaking Hippolyta; maybe one day, but for now she'd restuff her and give her fresh thread. For some reason, Aelita felt like this was the least she could do for both Hippolyta and her cousin.

She smiles softly. "We'll make you as good as new for Dally."

Aelita looks to the bear before giggling as she sung the lyrics her aunt had taught her, "Oooh, the sewing machine, the sewing machine, a girl's best friend. If I didn't have my sewing machine I'd-a come to no good." She couldn't stop her giggle before wincing as the needle bit her skin. "Ouch…" she whispers before sucking on the pained digit.

How long had it been since her aunt had taught her that song? Ever since she had retrieved her cousin's teddy bear, she'd had many flashes of old memories. She had started to recall her late aunt, her cousin, and especially the man her father had protected her from for years, her uncle.

She glanced across the campus through her bedroom window, humming softly the song her aunt had taught her years ago. She couldn't help a small chuckle before pulling her finger from her mouth. The memory hardly seemed like a memory as she recalled that faithful day.

_A fine needle darted in and out of pink fabric, as a young woman hummed to herself as she worked. A few words escaped from her parted lips, "Oooh, the sewing machine, the sewing machine…"_

"_Auntie... what are you singing?" Asked a small pink haired child._

"_Aelita, your auntie is trying to finish her gift to your cousin." Her father ruffled her hair._

_The dark haired woman chuckles lightly. "It's fine Waldo." She smiles to the child. "Lita, would you like to help me finish?" She scoops the small girl up, sitting her on her lap. "I need two more stitches," she tells her, "think you can help me?"_

_She nods, excited, "I can help!" _

_Her aunt smiles, helping her with the needle, "Now, be very careful. We must be gentle with the needle, or it could bite."_

_The small girl jumps, "Bite?!" She asks, startled. "Don't let it bite me, Aunt Lena!"_

Aelita's bedroom door suddenly slammed open, jerking the pink haired girl from her memory. "There you are!" A relieved Yumi spoke as she went to her. "Where have you been? You didn't even-"

"You missed breakfast!" Odd half cried out, half sing-songed, "The MOST important meal of the da-a-ay!"

A bagel appeared in front of her face with a small carton of orange juice, "Don't worry, I brought you something to eat before class starts." The sandy blond with glasses smiles lightly at her. "Don't want you getting hungry during class."

Black eyes blinked slowly as Aelita slowly sat her sewing needle down and took the presented breakfast items. "Thanks…?"

Ulrich and Odd sat down on her bed as Yumi leaned against the wall, and Jeremie smiled down at her at her side. What would she do without her friends?

Aelita couldn't help but smile back at them, feeling as if it had been months since she'd last seen them, but knew it had only been since yesterday.

"Soooo," Odd grins as he looks to her, his eyes curious, "whatcha makin'?"

Aelita sat the breakfast items on her desk before turning her chair their way. "Well… I went to the Hermitage," she pauses, knowing her friends would have their protests about her having gone alone.

"What?!" The four practically yelled as they looked to her, now leaning towards her.

"Are you crazy?"

"What if X.A.N.A. had sent a monster after you?"

"What if you'd been caught by him and taken to Lyoko for the-?"

Odd easily cut Yumi off with his soft question, "To get Dahlia's bear?"

The pink haired teen was surprised by that, she had half expected Odd to be in on the surprised and bewilderment train with their friends. She gave him a simple, solemn nod. "Yes, I had to. Ever since I went to the Hermitage and got Hippolyta-"

"Who is Hippolyta?" Ulrich interrupts, hand slightly raised with his question.

She picks up the pink bear, stuffing still sticking out from where her ears needed to be sewn back up. "This is Hippolyta, Dahlia's stuffed bear, from my Aunt Lena, and-"

"Her mom…" Odd says softly.

She bit her lip, nodding again. "I just…I had to go get it. I don't know how I knew it was there, or how I remembered, but as soon as I went in…" She smiles lightly, "I started to remember more."

The group looked to each with uncertainty. "Aelita… what if it had been a trap by-?"

"By X.A.N.A.?" She asks softly. "I thought about that, but if Dahlia is X.A.N.A. then I have a feeling she wouldn't harm me on purpose. I just…" The pinkette shook her head, "I have this feeling that she wouldn't."

"But you don't know that." Jeremie tried to remind her. "What if she didn't? What if it is a virus that causes her…" his words suddenly trailed off, before he started mumbling to himself, "…A virus… is it possible that Dahlia is infected just like how X.A.N.A. attempts to infect us to control us?"

Odd looks to him, eyes wide, "Could she be cured?"

Another exchange of looks began before landing on Jeremie. The Einstein of the group gave a slight shrug. "Maybe? I don't know. It's possible," his hands went up a bit, "it's worth a try though, right?"

Aelita's eyes were wide. "Let's try."

**A/N: I hope y'all enjoyed it! Read & Review! 3 **


	23. Chapter 22: What Could Go Wrong?

**A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry it has been a while, but I will be trying to post again once a week. **** Hope y'all enjoy! Read & Review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Code Lyoko, that solely belongs to the creators.**

**Sittin' In A Tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G**

**Recap:**

"Aelita… what if it had been a trap by-?"

"By X.A.N.A.?" She asks softly. "I thought about that, but if Dahlia is X.A.N.A. then I have a feeling she wouldn't harm me on purpose. I just…" The pinkette shook her head, "I have this feeling that she wouldn't."

"But you don't know that." Jeremie tried to remind her. "What if she didn't? What if it is a virus that causes her…" his words suddenly trailed off, before he started mumbling to himself, "…A virus… is it possible that Dahlia is infected just like how X.A.N.A. attempts to infect us to control us?"

Odd looks to him, eyes wide, "Could she be cured?"

Another exchange of looks began before landing on Jeremie. The Einstein of the group gave a slight shrug. "Maybe? I don't know. It's possible," his hands went up a bit, "it's worth a try though, right?"

Aelita's eyes were wide. "Let's try."

**Chapter 22: What Could Go Wrong?**

It wasn't long after that Jeremie had pulled out his laptop. For days he worked on the code to make an anti-virus, in hopes to eliminate X.A.N.A. from Dahlia's code, but something seemed to be missing. "Aelita… am I missing something?"

The pink haired girl looks over his shoulder before frowning, "Her code… it's scrambled. Is this the one you took-"

"When Yumi damaged her." He finishes with a nod.

She crosses her arms as she moved back. "Maybe we need a less damaged sample." She suggests. "But… Jeremie," she looks to him with a slight frown, "how will we know if we're eliminating X.A.N.A.'s code or hers? We need a sample of X.A.N.A.'s code… or something that would have hers…" She looked concerned.

"Aelita?"

"What if it doesn't work?" She asks softly and sits on his bed. "What if when we run it that we accidentally erase her code…and are left with-"

"I would never run an untested program on her, I promise." He moved from his computer to sit beside her on this bed. "Look, we'll figure out a way to save your cousin. We'll get her free from X.A.N.A. and afterwards we'll get your memories and shut down the program." Jeremie gave her a slight smile, "I promise."

Aelita leans against him and smiles, "Thank you, Jeremie."

For a moment he couldn't help but suddenly doubt the anti-virus. There was always a chance that something went wrong. Scratch that, there was always a possibility that something would go wrong with anything involving X.A.N.A. A blush crossed the Einstein's face as he fiddled with his glasses and stammers, "A-Anything for y-y-you, Aelita."

Maybe for once, something could go right.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ulrich couldn't help but ask as the group headed to the factory. "What if she goes after Odd again?"

The blond with a purple streak couldn't help but huff at that, "She didn't go after me." He mutters. "She wanted someone to talk to."

"She kidnapped you…"

"She didn't. I went willingly." Odd says as he presses the button for the elevator. "And I told you, she didn't hurt me. She just wanted to show me-"

"Her life." Yumi finishes. "But that doesn't excuse that the first time she did take you and that she did hurt you."

"I was fine when I got out."

Looks were exchanged, but no one said a word. Jeremie got out once they arrived at the super computer, while his friends headed further down to the scanner room to be virtualized into Lyoko. It was hard to believe that for years they'd been coming to Lyoko to save the world from X.A.N.A. and today they would be trying to find the one who was considered X.A.N.A. Today there was a possibility that maybe they'd be able to get eradicate X.A.N.A. officially.

"Ready?" Jeremie calls through his microphone. With one scanner left, each of them would have to go individually.

X.A.N.A. was known to wait for them at times, which meant Jeremie had to find the perfect spot and make sure that each of his friends got in and out safely. "Transfer Urlich, scanning, virtualization!"

Ulrich appeared in the desert region, landing with ease in a crouched position. "Looks clear Jeremie!" He calls up to Lyoko's sky.

"Got it. I'm sending the rest."

Before long each of the Lyoko warriors appeared in the desert region. "So… where do we start?" Yumi asks, hand on her hip.

A slight shrug came from the boys.

Aelita thought for a moment, "Jeremie," she calls, "would it be possible to use the sample as a way to locate Dahlia? Maybe I could search for her through a tower and go from there." She suggests. "The nearest tower will be to the East of us." She says, waving for the others to follow as she took off running.

"Let's just hope we don't-"

"You spoke too soon," Jeremie says, "three of X.A.N.A.'s monsters ahead. Blocks. Oh wait… and a Krab too."

"Didn't waste any time." Yumi says as she prepared her fans. "I'll take care of the blocks-"

"I got the Krab." Finishes Ulrich with a grin as he pulled out his sword. "Accelerate."

Odd couldn't help but grin, "Looks like it's just me and you, Princess."

Aelita giggles, happy to correct him, "You mean, you and me."

"Isn't that what I said?" He grins, prepared to catch any stray blocks with his arrows. "Aelita," his grin disappeared, "do you think this will really save her? I mean… are you sure that X.A.N.A. is just a virus that may have corrupted her? I mean she does have her moments where she seems…"

"Sane?" She finishes. "Jeremie thinks that because X.A.N.A. is a program that has the possibility of making viruses. If X.A.N.A. did need a lackey that could do his bidding whenever he needed it, then he would need someone smarter than block or a krab. Even William couldn't do what he needed, but if he only takes over partially with her knowledge and without her believing that she is X.A.N.A. then she would continue on the instinct to follow his plan through, while making tweaks that would make the plan successful. X.A.N.A. can't-"

"But what if she is X.A.N.A., I mean that is what she thinks…" Odd tells her.

"If that's so, then X.A.N.A. is more conscious than we thought. And why does she only do it momentarily? Why not have a hidden agenda when showing you her memories of her father, or all of us as a family? She could have kept you as a prisoner in order to get to all of us, to get me with the Scyphozoa and get whatever information he…she may need." She frowns, "I don't think she is X.A.N.A." she says again, "I think X.A.N.A. is somehow controlling her."

"Do you now?" Came a sweet voice from behind them. Dark hair caught the desert's dry air, moving it to the side. "What makes you think that, Lita?"

Odd turns, pointing his arrow at the girl he'd gotten to know. "Dahlia."

"Dally…"

**A/N: I hope y'all liked it! R&R!**


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